Shelf ^o. ED ^^5 ^^ .^^ TJT(nT/I^?iTj?7?J^T^ CAUTION Pe?.orTn^f ^^"e„*a1i^°'^ ?^ -ark ,> with Revised Laws of the Cot"^ ""P°=^d by the ^achusetts, Chapter^orSnlt °' *'^'- SJUL 25 .JO FEB 21 5« •PL. FORM NO. 609- •« » ,» AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 0.±.H m, ^imj- Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1864, by E. H. BUTLER & CO. the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, in and for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. MEAR8 & DUSENBERT, ASHMEAD, STEEEOTYPERS & ELECTROTYPERS. FRINTER. FOLLOWING PAGES ARE DEDICATED Qt\]it littlt s:iuft "HOUSELESS ANGLERS;" ALL THAT ARE LOVERS OF VIRTUE. AND DARE TRUST IN PROVIDENCE, AND BE QUIET, AND GO A-ANGLING." TO THE READER In offering this book for the perusal of those who may feel suflS- ciently interested in the subject to read works on Angling, I deem it an act of courtesy to say a few words in explanation of the motives which prompted me to commence, and then drew me on in the prose- cution of a work involving, as it has proved, no small amount of time and labor. Every true lover of angling knows that the pleasure it brings with it, does not end with the day's sport -, that besides being " a calmer of unquiet thoughts," for the time, it impresses happy memories on the mind ; and he looks back to many a day, and many a scene, as an oasis by the wayside in the rough journey of life; and like Dog- berry's friend Verges, " he will be talking" when he finds an interest- ed hearer, and may be tempted, as the author of th-ese pages has been, to write of it. Notwithstanding the many books on aogling by British authors, but few American works on the subject have yet been offered to tlie (7) Viii TO THE READER reading public; and this in the face of the fact that we are an angling people, and that our thousands of brooks, creeks, rivers, lakes, bays, and inlets abound in game-fish. The best informed of those who have written on American fishes, have omitted many important species, and treated slightingly of others which are worthy of a more extended notice. Since the pub- lication of Dr. Bethune's " Walton," and subsequently Frank For- ester's " Fish and Fishing," sporting-fish have decreased in some parts of the country where they were once abundant. In the mean while, the opening of new lines of travel has brought within reach of the angler many teeming waters that were then almost inaccessible. With a view of filling up the blank left by my predecessors, of correcting some erroneous ideas that have been imparted, not only concerning fish, but the adaptation of English rules and theories, without qualification, to our waters; and with the object of making the angler self-reliant, and to encourage him as much as possible to make the best of such resources as may be within his reach, espe- cially as regards his tackle, I have devoted many spare hours to the following pages ; in writing which, to use the words of Isaac Walton, " I have made a recreation of a recreation ;" and as reminiscences of my boyhood or maturer years have come back to me, and the mood was on me, I have at times indulged my sense of the ludicrous or the ridiculous ; and, again adopting the words of Walton in his address to his readers, ^' I have in several places mixed not any scurrility, but some innocent harmless mirth, of which, if thou be a severe sour- complexioned man, then I here disallow thee to be a competent judge, for divines say there are ofi"ences given and offences not given, but offences taken." But I am sanguine enough to hope that my simple narrations or allusions to such incidents will touch a chord of sym- pathy in the breasts of good-natured readers " who love to be quiet and go a-angling." I had collected most of the matter contained in this book — much of it as the reader finds it, but a greater portion in rough notes — when the present unhappy rebellion broke out. I then thought it doubtful whether the following pages would ever be printed, but TOTHEREADER. ix some of my angling friends, one or two of whom had read parts of my manuscript, urged me to publish, and overcame my scruples as to my short-comings as a writer, for I profess to be only an angler. One of these, who regards the author and his project perhaps in too favorable a light, addressed me a letter on the subject. I conceive it to be so strong an argument in favor of angling, and so much more to the point than I could express it myself, that I insert it here. My Dear Friend : Several times you have told me that you entertained the idea of writing a treatise on angling. Let me beg of you not to suffer this '" good intention" to be turned into a paving-stone for that locality into which all unfulfilled good intentions are dumped for cobble. I feel great confidence that if you can impart to beginners but a share of the practical knowledge and insight of the gentle craft which you have obtained by years of patient, observant, and appreciative practice, or can imbue them with a part of that genuine love for the sport which has grown into and with you, then you will be doing the youth of our country a real service. Perhaps few people claiming to be civilized have greater '^eed than we Americans to be taught the necessity of innocent out-door recreations, for the healthy development of mind, body, and spirit. To the struggle for wealth, and place, and fame, we devote such unremitting ardor, that we are too apt to overlook the simple and innocent joys which a kind Father has so bountifully placed within our easy reach ; by neglecting which, we miss the natural means for renewing the spring of life, and keeping fresh and green in our memories the happy days of boyhood. I have ever felt grateful that as a boy I imbibed a love for angling, for in my maturer years it continues to afibrd me a keener enjoyment than any other recreation. Nothing has survived to me of my boyish days which has the peculiar abandon and charm of boyish joy like this. At each returning season, when the warm breath of spring flushes the maple^ with the ruddy glow of budding leaves, what can equal the angler's de- lio-ht, as, rigged out in sober woollen suit and hob-nailed wading shoes, with creel o'er his shoulder and pliant rod in his grasp, he is permitted to revisit the bright familiar stream (scene of his former triumphs), to listen to the music of its flow, and to try once more if his right hand has lost its cunning, or his flies their attraction. Though I have always loved angling, I think if I had known you earlier I should have loved it even better. I realize how much I have learned TO THE READER from you in the few years we have fished together, and I look back with a kind of regret that I did not have the benefit of your kindly teaching ear- lier. Many a one who has the true love of angling in him, comes so far short of the enjoyment he could have, for want of willing and faithful teaching at the commencement, from those whose experience and skill are above his own. Some anglers do not think enough of their duties to their juniors in this respect. I reckon among the chiefest of your qualities as an angler, the sincere sympathy you have always manifested towards any novice who showed that he had a love for the art, and your willingness to teach to such what you knew. Why not manifest this on a more ex- panded field, and speak through a book to all who are seeking knowledge upon angling, and are disposed to avail themselves of your experience ? There is one department of the school for anglers in which I think you are qualified to speak ex cathedra. I mean the mechanical ; if you will undertake to teach what you know upon this branch, you can enable an angler, who has any aptitude for mechanism and a reasonable facility of manipulation, to manufacture for himself, his own rod, flies, and tackle, of a quality for service and efi'ectiveness, which will not sufi'er in comparison with those to be procured in any good tackle-store in the country. No one has a better right than I to bear this testimony to your handicraft, for my favorite fly-rod and book of flies are the product of your skill. We have a good many fishermen in this country, and too few anglers ; we are apt to value more a glut than a quiet day's sport, where skill and painstaking will reward us with a moderate sufficiency. Catching fish is not necessarily angling, any more than daubing canvas with paint is paintr irig. If you write, you could not help giving aid to the attainment of a truer and juster perception of the delights and uses of angling ; and aid your reader, if he has a sympathetic soul, in the attainment of that " sweet content'' which can be drawn from all the accessories of the art, and the beauties of nature amid which it is practised. I say, therefore, write. The labor will not only pleasantly recall many scenes of your piscatorial experience, and memories of the choice spirits with whom you have taken your diversion, but will make you to be re- membered with gratitude by those to whom your labor of love will bring an innocent pleasure. Truly your friend and fellow-angler, J. Most of the engravings of fish in this book are from nature. The marine species, found in the chapter on salt-water fishing, are reduced T 0 T H E R E A D E R . xi copies of those found in Dr. Holbrook's work. The vignettes are the production of the pencil of a good brother of the angle, an amateur, drawn mostly for his own amusement and occasionally for mine, as the subjects have been presented to his appreciative eye during the last ten or twelve years. Many of them are his earlier sketches. He has expressed an unwillingness that I should reproduce them, after finding that I was in earnest in doing so in this work ; but I have, in most cases, so intimately associated them with the subjects or topics to which they serve as vignettes, that I cannot oblige him by relin- quishing my purpose. Most of the tackle and diagrams, and a few of the fish, were drawn by the writer; I confess with some labor, for they are purely mechanical productions. All of the drawings on wood, with the exception of the plate of hooks and Salmon-flies by Mr. Wilhelm, are by D. Gordon Yates, of this city, and were cut by himself or under his supervision. I have received so many useful hints from Dr. Bethune's notes to his edition of Walton, and from English works on angling during the last fifteen or twenty years, that I am at a loss to whom to accredit any particular item of information ) having so entirely appropriated such knowledge, and stored and mingled it with whatever necessity and some aptness of my own has taught me, as to consider all alike my own property. Tackle-making I have learned as a pleasant recreation. My^ tactics and rules are based on my own experience and upon that of brethren of the rod with whom I have angled. So also is my knowledge of fishing-grounds. Anglers are all more or less conceited, or, to say the least, self- opinioned, and I may at times have given directions or laid down rules contrary to the views or practice of the reader, or may not have expressed myself as plainly as I endeavored to do ; but "What is writ is writ ; Would it were worthier." And I only ask the same indulgence of opinion I am willing to extend to those who hold opposite notions. xii TOTHEREADER To the living, with whom I have enjoyed long days of unalloyed pleasure in boyhood, by the dear old mill-pond, and in manhood by the mountain stream, on the sylvan lake, or within sound of " the warning off the lee shore, speaking in breakers," I send these pages as a reminder of the past. In reference to those who are no more on earth, I quote as applicable those simply beautiful lines of Walton, and say that my allusion to some of the incidents herein contained, "is, or rather was, a picture of my own disposition, especially in such days as I have laid aside business, and gone a-fishing with honest Nat and R. Roe ; but they are gone, and with them most of my pleasant hours, even as a shadow that passeth away and returneth not." CONTENTS, Address to the Reader Page 5 CHAPTER I. • ANGLING. Its harmonizing influences, — Recollections of Angling in boyhood, its after influence on manhood. — Its social tendency. — What and Who is an Angler ? — Different kinds of Anglers. — The Snob Angler. — The Greedy Angler. — The Spick-and-Span Angler. — The Rough- and-Ready Angler. — The Literary Angler. — The Shad-roe Fisher- man.— ^The English Admiral, an Angler. — The True Angler . 27 CHAPTER II. GENEKAL REMARKS ON FISH. Definition. — Origin and order in creation. — Natural mode of propaga- tion.— Habits as regards maternity. — Migration. — Vitality. — Ex- ternal organs. — Internal organization. — Ichthyology . . .39 CHAPTER III. TACKLE IN GENERAL. Hooks. — Sinkers. — Swivels. — Gut. — Leaders. — Snoods. — Lines. — Reels. — Rods. — Bow Dipsys 63 (13) XIV CONTENTS, CHAPTER IV. THE PERCH FAMILY — PERCID^. General Remarks on the Percidse. — Urcat number of American genera and species. — Paucity of European species. — Distinguish- ing marks. — Their abundance and variety in the Valley of the Mississippi. — Migratory habits. — The Rockfish or Striped Bass, Labrax Uneatus. Rockfish Tackle. Rock-fishing on the lower Rappahannock. — The White Perch, Lahrax pallidas. Perch-fish- ing.— The White Bass of the Lakes, Labrax albidus. White Bass taken with the artificial fly. — Fresh water Bass of the South and West, Grystes sahnoides. Bass-fishing. Bass Fly-fishing. — Black Bass of the Lakes, Grrystes nigricans. Trolling for Black Bass with spoon, and with artificial flies. — The Striped Bass of the Ohio, Perca chrysops. — The Short Striped Bass. — Oswego Bass. — The Crappie or Sac-a-lai, Pomoxis hexicanthus. — The Yellow Barred Perch, Perca flavescens . — The Sunfish or Sunny, Pomotis vulgaris. — Bream, Ichthylis rubricunda. Bream-fishing on Bayou La Branch. — The Pike Perch or Ohio Salmon, Lucioperca Americana. — The Buffalo Perch, Ablodon grunniens 77 CHAPTER V. THE PIKE FAMILY — ESOCID^. Remarks on the Pike Family. — Mascalonge pictured by Cuvier. — European species. — American species. — The Garfish ; manner of taking it. — Dr. Bethune's remarks on Pikes. — Their introduction into England. — Pliny's Pike. — Gesner's Pike. — The Great Lake Pickerel, Esox lucioides. Trolling from a boat for Pickerel. — The Mascalonge, Esox esior. Angling for Mascalonge. — The Pond Pike, Esox reticulaius. Pike-fishing. Trolling for Pike with the gorge-hook. Pike-fishing in Eastern Virginia. — The Great Blue Pike.— The Little Pike of Long Island.— The Streaked Pike of the Ohio. Story told about a Pike taken in the Kanawha . . . 127 CHAPTER VI. THE CARP FAMILY — CYPRINID^. Remarks on the Cyprinidae. — The Sucker, Catostomus communis. — Buffalo Fish, Catostomus babulus. Buffalo Fish as an article of CONTENTS. XV diet. — The Chub or Fallfish, Leucosomus nothus. Errors of Ameri- can writers in regard to the size of the Chub. Chub an annoyance to fly-fishers. Chub-fishing on the Brandywine. Umbrella invented by a Chub Fisherman. — Roach, and Roach-fishing . . . 153 CHAPTER VII. THE HERRING FAMILY — CLUPEIDiE. Remarks un the Herring Family, from the " Iconographic Encyclo- paedia." Their abundance in the waters of the United States. Great numbers of them taken in the Potomac. Herring-fishing with the artificial fly. — The Shad, Alosa prcesiatilis. Its delicacy and value as food. Migratory habits. Shad taken with the min- now. Shad-roe as bait L65 CHAPTER VII I. CATFISH AND EELS. Cattish, Siluridce. Extract from Iconographic Encyclopaedia. Cat- fish of the Atlantic States and Western waters. — Eels. Observations on the Petromyzontidoe (Lamprey Eels), on the MurcenidcB (Common Eels), and on the Gymnotidce (Electric Eels). — The Common Eel, Anguilla vulgaris. Fishing for Eels. Migratory habits. Young '"lels as bait. Eels not hermaphrodites 177 I CHAPTER IX. THE SALMON FAMILY. — SALMONID^. Remarks on the Salmonidae. — The Brook Trout. Scientific descrip- tion. Habits and manner of breeding. Growth. Difi'erence in size between Trout of still waters and those of brisk streams. Efi'ect of light and shade, and bright or dark water, on the color of Trout. Errors as regards new species. Food of the Trout. Its greediness. Its geographical range. Former abundance and causes of decrease. Size of Trout in the regions of Lake Superior and State of Maine. Size in the preserved waters of England, and size the angler is restricted to in rented waters. — The Salmon. Former abundance in the rivers of New York and the Eastern States. Great numbers in California, Oregon, and British Possessions. Xvi CONTENTS. Decline of the Salmon- fisheries in British Provinces. Scientific description. Natural process of propagation. Their growth. Parr, Smolt, and Grilse. Mature Salmon. Size of Salmon. Instinct. Restocking depleted rivers, and introducing Salmon into new waters. Their migration from sea to fresh rivers, and gradual preparation for their change of habitat. Salmon-leaps. Food of Salmon at sea. — The Canadian Trout, or Sea Trout, Salnio Canadensis. Error in referring it to the species Salmo trutta of Europe ; their dissimilar- ity. Its affinity to Salmo fontinalis (Brook Trout). Sea-Trout fishing in the Tabbisintac. Mr. Perley's and Dr. Adamson's account of Sea-Trout fishing. Their abundance in the rivers falling into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and annoyance to Salmon-fishers. — The Schoodic Trout, or Dwarf Salmon of the St. Croix, Salmo Gloveri. Account of three summers' fishing in the Schoodic Lakes. — The Great Lake Trout, Salmo namaycush. Manner of taking them. — The Lesser Lake Trout, Salmo Adirondakus. Trolling for Lake Trout. — Back's Grayling, Thymallus signifer. Dr. Richardson's remarks on the Grayling. — The Smelt, Osmerus viridiscens. Their great numbers along the northern part of our coast. Smelt in the Schuylkill. Quantity sent south from Boston. Smelt used as a fertilizer. — The Capelin, Mallotus villosus. — The Whitefish, Co- regonus albus. — Trout Bait-fishing 191 CHAPTER X. SALT-WATER FISH AND FISHING. Introductory Remarks. — The Sheepshead. — The Weakfish, or Salt- Water Trout.— The Barb, or Kingfish.— The Spot, Pigfish, or Goody.— The Croaker.— The Redfish of the Gulf of Mexico.— The Bluefish, or Snapping Mackerel. — The Spanish Mackerel. — The Pompano (Southern). — The Drumfish. — The Flounder. — The Sea- Bass.- The Blackfish.- The Mullet.— The Tom Cod, or Frostfish.— The Porgy 277 CHAPTER XL TROUT FLY-FISHING-. — OUTFIT AND TACKLE. Wading- Jacket. — Trousers. — Boots. — Creel or Basket. — Landing-Net. —Rods.— Reels.— Lines.— Leaders.— Fiies.—The Whip . . 305 CONTENTS. xvii CHAPTER XIL TROUT FLY-FISHING. — THE STREAM. Casting the Fly. — Theory of strict imitation. — Striking and killing a Fish. — Likely places, how to fish them 327 CHAPTER XIII. SALMON- FISHING. Tackle used in Salmon-Fishing. — Rod.s. — Reels. — Reel-lines. — Cast- ing-lines.— Salmon-flies. — Materials required for Salmon-flies for American rivers. — Salmon-flies for the rivers of New Brunswick and Canada. — Theory and practice of Salmon-fishing. — Salmon- fishing compared with Trout-fishing. — Casting the fly. — The straight- forward cast, casting over the left shoulder, casting in difficult places, explained by diagrams. — Casting in an unfavorable wind. — Striking. — Playing a Salmon. — What a Salmon will do or may do. — Gaffing. — Camping on the river. — Camp equipage. — Protection against mosquitoes, black-flies, and midges. — Clothing, &c. — Cook- ing utensils. — Stores. — Cooking Salmon on the river. — To boil a Salmon. — To broil a Salmon. — Cold Salmon. — Soused Salmon. — To bake or steam a Grilse under the coals and ashes. — Kippered Salmon. — Smoked Salmon, — Law and Custom on the river . . 346 CHAPTER XIV. SALMON-RIVERS OF THE BRITISH PROVINCES. Salmon-rivers of Lower Canada. — Salmon-rivers emptying into or tributary to rivers flowing into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. — Salmon- rivers of New Brunswick. — Mirimichi. — Ristigouche. — Metapediac. — Cascapediacs. — Bonaventure. — Tittigouche. — Nipissiguit . . 379 CHAPTER XV. REPAIRS, KNOTS, LOOPS, AND RECEIPTS. Repairs. — To wax silk, thread, or twine. — Tying on hooks and making loops, illustrated. — Splicing a line and splicing a rod, illustrated. — Knots. — The angler's single and double knot, and knot used in 2 Xviii CONTENTS. tying on drop-flies, illustrated. — A gang of hooks, illustrated. — Receipts. — For making wax. — For dyeing gut. — For dyeing feathers and dubbing 405 CHAPTER XVI. FLY-MAKING. Implements. — Hand- Vice, Spring-Pliers, &c. — Book for holding mate- rials.— Materials. — Hooks. — Gut. — Tinsel. — Dubbing. — Hackles. — Wings. — To tie a plain Hackle. — To tie a Palmer. — To make a fly with wings ........... 419 CHAPTER XVI I. ROD-MAKING. Woods used in making rods. — Wood and Malacca cane for fly-rods. — Materials used by amateur rod-makers. — To make a fly-rod of three pieces. — To make a tip. — To stain a rod. — Oiling and varnishing. — Wrapping splices and putting on rings. — To make a " rent and glued," or quarter-sectioned tip. — Praw-plate and V tool illustrated and explained. — Manner of splitting cane and joining the pieces of a quarter-sectioned tip described by diagram. — Making middle pieces and tips without splices. — Manner of making a fly-rod to be adjusted to light or heavy fishing. — Ferule-making . . 441 CHAPTER XVIII. FISH-BEEEDING. Causes of the decrease of Salmon and Trout. — Remarks on fish-ponds and the manner of stocking them. — Artificial Fish-Breeding — with illustrations, showing the manner of expressing the ova and milt, the arrangement of hatching-troughs, and the growth of the fish ; from " A Complete Treatise on Artificial Fish-Breeding,'' by W. H. Fry, Esq., with some remarks of the author of this work. — The Aquarium— its appropriate size and form, and manner of stocking it with fish and introducing suitable aquatic plants . . 159 CONTENTS. XIX DIES PISCATORIiE. The " Houseless Anglers" Page 489 The Noonday Roast 497 First Nooning — Trout-fishing in Hamilton County, New York . 503 Second Nooning — Trout-fishing in New Hampshire . .513 Third Nooning — Trout-fishing in the regions of Lake Superior . 531 Fourth Nooning — Trout-fishing in the Adirondacks . . . 547 Fly-Fishing Alone ... 567 The Angler's Sabbath ... 589 Conclusion 599 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. FRONTISPIECE— VIEW OF THE GRAND FALLS ON THE NIPISSI- GUIT, From a Photograph by Russel, op St. John, N. B. RIVER SCENE ....... Page 5 MALACOPTERYGII AND ACANTHOPTERYOII— POSITION OF FINS IN THE TWO ORDERS . . . . . .57 POSITION OF TEETH AND GILL-COVERS 58 HOOKS AND SAVIVELS . . .65 ROCKFISH, OR STRIPED BASS ..... 81 UNCLE ROLLY ........ 89 WHITE PERCH.— GRAY PERCH . . . . .90 FRESH-WATER BASS OF THE SOUTH AND WEST . . .99 BLACK BASS OF THE NORTHERN LAKES . . 103 CRAPPIE, OR SAC-A-LAI . . . . . .111 YELLOW-BARRED PERCH ...... 114 SUNFISH, OR SUNNY . . . . . . .115 FISHING FOR SUNNIES ...... 117 GREAT NORTHERN LAKE PICKEREL . . . .131 CANADIAN BOATMAN ...... 134 MASCAL0N6E . . . . . . . .135 POND PIKE ....... 138 GORGE-HOOK . . . . . . . . 139 THE MAJOR ....... 146 THE HOSTLER TELLING A FISH STORY . . .150 THE CHUB-FISHER'S IMPROVED UMBRELLA . . 160 GIRL FISHING FOR ROACH . . . . .162 (xxi) xxn LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. BROOK TROUT .... SALMON ..... GROWTH OP THE YOUNG SALMON SALMON-FRY.— PINK AND SMOLT . GUIDE ..... GREAT LAKE TROUT .... LESSER LAKE TROUT GANG OF HOOKS, BAITED SMELT ..... CHILDREN ON A TROUT STREAM . SHEEPSHEAD .... WEAK-FISH ..... BARB OR KINGFISH SPOT, PI6FISH, OR GOODY . CROAKER ..... REDFISH OF THE GULF OF MEXICO BLUEFISH OR SNAPPING MACKEREL . SPANISH MACKEREL .... POMPANO.— CREVALLE BOAT ...... TROUT-FLIES .... LANDING-NETS FOR FLY-FISHING . HEAD OF A TROUT THE OLD SPRING BY THE ROADSIDE REEL FOR SALMON-FISHING SALMON-FLIES ..... RIGHT AND LEFT-SHOULDERED, AND DIFFICULT CASTING BARK-PEELER'S HORSE AND STABLE CANOEMAN ...... TYING ON HOOKS AND LOOPS .... SPLICING LINE AND ROD .... KNOTS ........ GANG ....... SETTLER'S CABIN ...... PIN-VICE AND SPRING PLIERS .... FLY-MAKING ....... FEATHER CUT FOR WINGS . . . . " PLEASE, SIR, GIVE ME A FLY-HOOK ?" . PAGE 194 . 206 224 . 227 247 . 249 255 . 268 263 . 274 280 . 283 286 . 289 291 . 293 294 . 296 298 . 302 305 . 307 325 . 342 348 . 363 362 . 376 402 . 406 408 . 409 409 . 416 420 . 429 434 . 438 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS XXlll ROD-MAKING— V TOOL AND DRAW-PLATE MAKING QUARTER-SECTIONED TIPS MALACCA CANE . FISH-BREEDING— HATCHING TROUGHS EXPRESSING THE SPAWN OVA AND YOUNG SALMON . SCIENTIFIC ANGLING SAW-MILL ON TROUT STREAM AFTER THE ROAST " THEE MUSN'T GO THROUGH THAT RYE !" A THIEF'S PORTRAIT UNCLE LOT ..... BLACKSMITH'S BOY DISCUSSING THE DRAFT OFF FOR A DEER DRIVE . WATCHING FOR DEER STONE THROWER .... SAND-PIPERS ..... RIVER SCENE .... i'AGE 449 , 460 451 ,468 469 477 482 494 500 51(1 528 544 652 564 566 564 570 586 698 CHAPTER I. ANGLING. 'QcivERiNQ fears, lieart-tearing cares, Anxious sighs, untimely tears, Fly, fly to courts, Fly to fond worldlings' sports, Where strained Sardonic smiles are glosing still, And grief is forced to laugh against her will ; Where mirth's but mummery. And sorrows only real be. 'Fly from our country pastimes, fly, Sad troops of human misery :— Come, serene looks, Clear as the crystal brooks, Or the pure azured heaven that smiles to see The rich attendance on our poverty; Peace, and a secure mind, Which all men seek, we only find." Walton. CHAPTER I. ANGLING. Its harmonizing influences. — Recollections of Angling in boyhood, its after influence on manhood. — Its social tendency. — What and Who is an Angler? — Different kinds of Anglers. — The Suob Angler. — The Greedy Angler. — The Spick-and-Span Angler. — The Rough-and-Ready Angler. — The Literary Angler. — The Shad-roe Fisherman. — The English Ad- miral, an Angler. — The True Angler. It is not my intention to offer any remarks on the antiquity of Angling, or say mucla in its defence. Dame Juliana Berners, Isaac Walton, and more recent authors, have discoursed learnedly on its origin, and defended it wisely and valiantly from the aspersions and ridicule of those who cannot appreciate its quiet joys, and who know not the solace and peace it brings to the harassed mind, or how it begets and fosters contentment and a love of nature. I ask any caviller to read Dr. Bethune's Bibliographical Preface to his edition of Walton ; and then Father Izaak's address to the readers of his discourse, ''but especially to THE HONEST ANGLER," and accompany him in spirit, as Bethune does, by the quiet Lea, or Cotton by the bright rippling Dove ; and if he be not convinced of the blessed influences of the " gentle art." or if his heart is not warmed, or no recollections of his boyish days come back to him, I give him up without a harsh word, but with a feeling of regret, that a lifetime should be spent without attaining so much of quiet happiness that might have been so easily (27) 28 AMERICAN A N G L E R'S BOOK possessed, and quoting a few sad words from Whittier's Maud Muller, I only say '*' it might have been." Many anglers, such as Sir Humphrey Davy and Sir Joshua Reynolds, besides some of my own acquaintance, have sought its cheering influences in advanced life. I know of one whose early manhood and maturer years were spent on the boister- ous deep, and who, though now past eighty, is still an ardent, but quiet angler; and when no better sport can be found* he will even fish through the ice in winter for Eoach. No doubt his days have been lengthened out, and the burden of life lightened, by his love of angling. But how sweetly memories of the past come to one who has appreciated and enjoyed it from his boyhood, whose almost first penny, after he wore jacket and trowsers, bought his first fish-hook: whose first fishing-line was twisted by mother or sister ; whose float was the cork of a physic vial, and whose sinkers were cut from the sheet-lead of an old tea- chest 1 Thus rigged, with what glad anticipations of sport, many a boy has started on some bright Saturday morning, his gourd, or old cow's horn of red worms in one pocket, and a jack-knife in the other, to cut his alder-pole with, and wandered "free and far" by still pool and swift waters, dinnerless — except perhaps a slight meal at a cherry tree, or a handful of berries that grew along his path — and come home at night weary and footsore, but exulting in his string of chubs, minnows, and sunnies, the largest as broad as his three fingers! He almost falls asleep under his Saturday night scrubbing, but in the morning, does ample justice to his "catch," which is turned out of the pan, crisp and l)rown, and matted together like a pan-cake. In my school days, a boy might have been envied, but not loved for proficiency in his studies ; but he was most courted, who knew the best fishing-holes; who had plenty of powder ANGLING. 2^ and shot ; the best squirrel dog, and the use of his father's long flintlock gun. And I confess, as I write these lines with my spectacles on, that I have still a strong drawing towards this type of a boy, whether I meet him in my h)nely rambles, or whether he dwells only in my memory. Sometimes the recollection of our boyish sports comes back to us after manhood, and one who has been ''addicted" to fishing relapses into his old "ailment;" then angling becomes a pleasant kind of disease, and one's friends are apt to become inoculated with the virus, for it is contagious. Or men are informally introduced to each other on the stream, by a good-humored salutation, or an inquiry of ^' What luckV or a display of the catch, or the offer of a segar, or the flask, or a new fly : and with such introduction have become fast friends, from that affinity which draws all true anglers together. But let me ask what is an angler, and who is a true angler ? One who fishes with nets is not, neither is he who spears, snares, or dastardly uses the crazy bait to get fish, or who catches them on set lines ; nor is he who is boisterous, noisy, or quarrelsome; nor are those who profess to practise the higher branches of the art, and affect contempt for their more humble brethren, who have not attained to their proficiency, imbued with the feeling that should possess the true angler. Nor is he who brings his ice-chest from town, and fishes all day with worm or fly, that he may return to the city and boastingly distribute his soaked and tasteless trout among his friends, and brag of the numbers he has basketed, from fingerlings upwards. Anglers may be divided into almost as many genera and species as the fish they catch, and engage in the sport from as many impulses. Let me give, "en passant," a sketch of a few of the many I have met with. 30 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. There is the Fussy Angler, a great bore; of course you will shun him. The "Snob" Angler, who speaks confidently and knowingly on a slight capital of skill or experience. The Greed}^, Pushing Angler, who rushes ahead and half fishes the water, leaving those who follow, in doubt as to whether he has fished a pool or rift carefully, or slurred it over in his haste to reach some well-known place down the stream before his companions. The company of these, the quiet, careful angler will avoid. We also meet sometimes with the ''Spick-and-Span" Angler, who has a highly varnished rod, and a superabundance of useless tackle; his outfit is of the most elaborate kind as regards its finish. He is a dapper ''well got up" angler in all his appointments, and fishes much in-doors over his claret and poteen, when he has a good listener. He frequently displays bad taste in his tackle, intended for fly-fishing, by having a thirty dollar multiplying reel, filled with one of Conroy's very best relaid sea-grass lines, strong enough to hold a dolphin. If you meet him on the teeming waters of northern New York, the evening's display of his catch, depends much on the rough skill of his guide. The Rough-and-Eeady Angler, the opposite of the afore- named, disdains all "tomfoolery," and carries his tackle in an old shot-bag, and his flies in a tangled mass. We have also the Literary Angler, who reads Walton and admires him hugely ; he has been inoculated with the sentiment only ; the five-mile walk up the creek, where it has not been fished much, is very fatiguing to him ; he " did not know he must wade the stream," and does not until he slips in, and then he has some trouble at night to get his boots off. He is provided with a stout bass rod, good strong leaders of salmon-gut, and a stock of Conroy's ''journal flies," and ANGLING. ^l wonders if he had not better put on a shot just above his stretcher-flj. The Pretentious Angler, to use a favorite expression of the lamented Dickey Riker, once Recorder of the city of New York, is one '' that prevails to a great extent in this com- munity." This gentleman has many of the qualities attri- buted by Fisher, of the ''Angler's Souvenir," to Sir Humphrey Davy. If he has attained the higher branches of the art, he affects to despise all sport which he considers less scientific ; if a salmon fisher, he calls trout ''vermin;" if he is a trout fly-fisher, he professes contempt for bait fishing. We have talked with true anglers who were even disposed to censure the eminent Divine, who has so ably, and with such labor of love, edited our American edition of Walton, for affectation, in saying of the red worm, " our hands have long since been washed of the dirty things." The servant should not be above his master, and certainly " Iz. Wa.," whose disciple the Doctor professed to be, considered it no indignity to use them, nor was he disgusted with his " horn of gentles." But the Doctor was certainly right in deprecating the use of ground bait in reference to trout, when the angler can with a little faith and less greed soon learn the use of the fly. The Shad-roe Fisherman. — The habitat of this genus (and they are rarely found elsewhere) is Philadelphia. There are many persons of the aforesaid city, who fish only when this bait can be had, and an idea seems to possess them that fish will bite at no other. This fraternity could have been found some years back, singly or in pairs, or little coteries of three or four, on any sun-shiny day from Easter to Whitsuntide, heaving their heavy dipsies and horsehair snoods from the ends of the piers, or from canal-boats laid up in ordinary— the old floating bridge at Grray's Ferry was a favorite resort for 32 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. them. Sometimes the party was convivial, and provided with a junk bottle of what they believed to be old rye. Before the gas-works had destroyed the fishing in the Schuylkill, I frequently observed a solitary individual of this species, wending his way to the river on Sunday mornings, with a long reed-pole on his shoulder, and in his hand a tin kettle of shad-roe; and his "prog," consisting of hard-boiled eggs and crackers and cheese, tied up in a cotton bandana handkerchief. Towards nightfall "he might have been seen" (as James the novelist says of the horseman), trudging home- ward with a string of Pan Kock and White Perch, or " Catties" and Eels, his trowsers and coat sleeves well plastered with his unctuous bait, suggesting the idea of what, in vulgar parlance, might be called " a very nasty man." But let us not turn up our scientific noses at this humble brother ; nor let the home missionary or tract distributor rate him too severely, if he should meet with him in his Sunday walks ; for who can tell what a quiet day of consolation it has been to him ; he has found relief from the toils and cares of the week, and perhaps from the ceaseless tongue of his shrewish " old woman." If his sport has been good, he follows it up the next day, and keeps "blue Monday." We have seen some very respectable gentlemen in our day engaged in fishing with shad-roe at Fairmount Dam. The bar even had its representative, in one of our first criminal court lawyers. He did not "dress the character" with as much discrimination as when he lectured on Shakspeare, for he always wore his blue coat with gilt buttons : he did not appear to be a successful angler. " Per contra" to this was a wealthy retired merchant, who used to astonish us with his knack of keeping this difficult bait on his hooks, and his skill in hooking little White Perch. Many a troller has seen him sitting bolt upright in the bow of his boat on a cool morning ANGLING. 33 in May, witli his overcoat buttoned up to his chin, his jolly spouse in the steru, and his servant amidship, baiting the hooks and taking off the lady's fish. The son also was an adept as well as the sire. Woe to the perch fisher, with his bait of little silvery eels, if these occupied the lower part of the swim, for the fish were all arrested by the stray ova that floated off from the ''gobs" of shad-roe. As we love contrasts, let us here make a slight allusion to that sensible ''old English gentleman," the Admiral, who surveyed the north-west coast of America, to see, if in the contingency of the Yankees adhering to their claim of "fifty- four forty," the country above Vancouver's Island was worth contending for. He was an ardent angler, and it is reported, that on leaving his ship he provided stores for a week, which comprised of course not a few drinkables, as well as salmon rods and other tackle, and started in his boats to explore the rivers and tributaries, which, so goes the story, were so crammed in many places with salmon, that they could be captured with a boat-hook ; and still with all the variety of salmon flies and the piscatory skill of the admiral and his of&cers, not a fish could be induced to rise at the fly. He returned to his ship disheartened and disgusted, averring that the country was not worth contending for; that the Yankees might have it and be ; but it would be inde- corous to record the admiral's mild expletive. The True Angler is thoroughly imbued with the spirit of gentle old Izaak. He has no affectation, and when a fly-cast is not to be had, can find amusement in catching Sunfish or Roach, and does not despise the sport of any humbler brother of the angle. With him, fishing is a recreation, and a "calmer of unquiet thoughts." He never quarrels with his luck, knowing that satiety dulls one's appreciation of sport as much as want of success, but is ever content when he has 3 84 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. done "his best, and looks hopefully forward to a more pro- pitious day. Whether from boat or rocky shore, or along the sedgy bank of the creek, or the stony margin of the mountain brook, he deems it an achievement to take fish when they are difficult to catch, and his satisfaction is in proportion. If he is lazy, or a 'superannuated angler, he can even endure a few days' trolling on an inland lake, and smokes his cigar, chats with the boatman, and takes an occasional ''nip," as he is rowed along the wooded shore and amongst the beautiful islands. A true angler is generally a modest man ; unobtrusivel}? communicative when he can impart a new idea ; and is evei ready to let a pretentious tyro have his say, and good- naturedly (as if merely suggesting how it should be done) repairs his tackle, or gets him out of a scrape. He is moderately provided with all tackle and ''fixins" necessary to the fishing he is in pursuit of. Is quietly self-reliant and equal to almost any emergency, from splicing his rod or tying his own flies, to trudging ten miles across a rough' country with his luggage on his back. His enjoyment con- sists not only in t«he taking of fish : he draws much pleasure from the soothing influence and delightful accompaniments of the art. With happy memories of the past summer, he joins to- gether the three pieces of his fly -rod at home, when the scenes of the last season's sport are wrapped in snow and ice, and renews the glad feelings of long summer days. With what interest he notes the swelling of the buds on the maples, or the advent of the blue-bird and robin, and looks forward to the day when he is to try another cast! and, when it comes at last, with what pleasing anticipations he packs up his "traps," and leaves his business cares and the noisy city behind, and after a few hoars' or few days' travel in the cars, ANGLING. 35 and a few miles in a rougli wagon, or a vigorous tramp over rugged hills or along the road that leads up the banks of the river, he arrives at his quarters ! He is now in the region of fresh butter and mealy potatoes — there are always good potatoes in a mountainous trout country. How pleasingly rough everything looks after leaving the prim city ! How pure and wholesome the air ! How beautiful the clumps of sugar-maples and the veteran hemlocks jutting out over the stream ; the laurel ; the ivy ; the moss-covered rocks ; the lengthening shadows of evening ! How musical the old familiar tinkling of the cow-bell and the cry of the whip-poor- will ! How sweetly he is lulled to sleep as he hears " The waters leap and gush O'er channelled rock, and broken bush \" Next morning, after a hearty breakfast of mashed potatoes, ham and eggs, and butter from the cream of the cow that browses in the woods, he is off, three miles up the creek, a cigar or his pipe in his mouth, his creel at his side, and his rod over his shoulder, chatting with his chum as he goes ; free, joyous, happy ; at peace with his Maker, with himself, and all mankind ; he should be sfrateful for this much, even if he catches no fish. How exhilarating the music of the stream ! how invigorating its waters, causing a consciousness of manly vigor, as he wades sturdily with the strong current and casts his flies before him ! When his zeal abates, and a few of the speckled lie in the bottom of his creel, he is not less interested in the wild flowers on the bank, or the scathed old hemlock on the cliff above, with its hawk's nest, the lady of the house likely inside, and the male proprietor perched high above on its dead top, and he breaks forth lustily — the scene suggesting the song — ' The bee's on its wing, and the hawk on its nest, And the river runs merrily dj." 3g AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. When noon comes on, and the trout rise lazily or merely nip, he halts ''sub tegmine fagi," or under the shadow of the dark sugar-maple to build a fire and roast trout for his dinner, and wiles away three hours or so. He dines sumptu- ously, straightens and dries his leader and the gut of his dropper, and repairs all breakage. He smokes leisurely, or even takes a nap on the green sward or velvety moss, and resumes his sport when the sun has declined enough to shade at least one side of the stream, and pleasantly anticipates the late evening cast on the still waters far down the creek. God be with you, gentle angler, if actuated with the feeling of our old master ! whether you are a top fisher or a bottom fisher ; whether your bait be gentles, brandling, grub, or red worm ; crab, shrimp, or minnow; caddis, grasshopper, or the feathery counterfeit of the ephemera. May your thoughts be always peaceful, and your heart filled with gratitude to Him who made the country and the rivers ; and " may the east wind never blow when you go a fishing!" C II A P T I R II. GENERAL REMARKS ON FISH. " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was witli God, and the word was God. * * * All things were made by him ; and without him was not any thing made that was made." CHAPTER II. GENERAL REMARKS ON FISH. Definition. — Origin and order in creation. — Natural mode of propagation. — Habits as regards maternity. — Migration. — Vitality. — External or- gans.— Internal organization. — Ichthyology. A Fish, according to the definition of naturalists, is a vertebrate animal witli red blood, breathing through water by means of branchiae, generally called gills. The term fish is frequently applied by unscientific persons, to animals not of the ichthyic class, as in the case of the AYhale, which is a true mammal, but resembling the fish in many respects, although its tail is placed horizontally instead of in an upright position. Crustacea and Molluscs (Crabs, Lobsters, Oysters, Clams, and Muscles), are also erroneously called '^shell-fish." In the records of Creation, as shown by Paleontologists, the remains of the earliest fishes appear in the upper Silurian system, immediately beneath the Old Eed Sandstone. They were the first vertebrate animals, and were cotemporaneous with the earliest terrestrial vegetation. These fish were all of one order, and are termed Placoids by Professor Agassiz. They had internal cartilaginous frames, and an external armature of plates, spines, and shagreen points. This order has representatives at the present day, in the Sharks and Dog- fish of our salt-water bays and inlets. Some of the ancient Sharks had a mouth terminal at the snout, and not under- neath as our man-eater, and instead of sharp incisors, the (39) 40 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK, interior of the mouth and throat was thickly studded with hard, crushing teeth. Next to the Placoidal order, and before they had dimin- ished in number, came the Ganoids, whose covering consisted of a nearly continuous armor of hard bone with an enamelled surface. One of the few representatives of this order, known to us, is the '' Lepidosteus'^ (the Gar-fish of the South and West), whose coat of mail appears to be made of diamond- shaped pieces closely joined with sutures between. Hugh Miller says, '' with the Old Ked Sandstone, the Ganoids were ushered upon the scene in amazing abundance, and for untold ages, comprising mayhap, millions of years; the entire Ichthyic class consisted, so far as is yet known, of but these two orders (Placoids and Ganoids). During the time of the Old Red Sandstone, of the Carboniferous, of the Permean, of the Triassic, and of the Oolitic systems, all fishes apparently as numerous as they now are, were comprised in the Ganoidal and Placoidal orders. At length during the ages of the Chalk, the Cycloids and Ctenoids were ushered in, and gradually developed in Creation until the human period, in which time they seem to have reached their culminating point, and now many times exceed in number all other fishes." The " Ctenoids," here mentioned by Miller, as the third in order of Creation, is one of the four orders erected by Agassiz, and comprise all of those fishes, the free edges of whose scales are serrated or pectinated like the teeth of a comb. To this order belong the whole family of Perch, and other families which have sharp spinous dorsal fins. Amongst the Cycloids, are contained all those whose scales have smooth continuous margins; these are generally. or entirely soft- finned fish, as the salmon, shad, herring, carp, chub, &c. In describing the fishes of the earlier periods, Hugh Miller GENERAL REMARKS ON FISH. 4^ continues in his earnest manner: "The dynasty of the Ganoids was at one time co-extensive with every river, lake, and sea ; and endured during the unreckoned eons, which extended from the time of the lower Old Red Sandstone until those of the Chalk. I may here mention, that as there are orders of plants, such as the E-osacse, and the grasses, that scarce preceded man in their appearance ; so there are families of fishes 'that seem to belong peculiarly to the human period. * * ^ * « rj^l^Q delicate Salmonidse and Pleuronectidse families to which the Salmon and Turbot belong, were ushered into being as early as the times of the Chalk ; but the Gadidse or Cod Family did not precede man by at least any time appreciable to the geologist." We might follow Miller further in his remarks, and might show the reptilean and ichthyic characteristics in the same animal ; a fish apparently approaching the reptile, and the reptile the fish. We do not intend hei^e to go into a lengthy or scientific description of the roe as it exists in the female; its ejection and impregnation by the milt of the male ; its progress in incubation, and the production and growth of the young ; but refer the reader to our article on Pisciculture, for all essential information on so interesting a subject. All observing anglers know that the roe is contained in two sacks; this, as well as the milt of the male, is gradually formed and developed as the fish arrives at the age of puberty, and the same rule of formation, and growth of the roe or milt, is repeated in the same individual after it recu- perates from the exhausting effects of spawning. Fish of the genus Sahno, which includes our Brook Trout, arc amongst the few that spawn in autumn. The ova of these require water highly aerated, much oxygen being needed in the incubation. These select the gentle current of the streams, but if this is not accessible, as is the case in 42 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. sluggish trout rivers and lakelets, they find some pool with gravelly bottom where a cool spring enters. They generally spawn in pairs or communities. After preparing the bed, by displacing the gravel with their noses, and excavating an oblong furrow of a few inches in depth, the female deposits her spawn in the trench, and the male ejects his milt over it, when fecundation ensues and the gravel is replaced. Another furrow is then made ; the spawn and milt cast ; the ova covered over as before ; and the process repeated until the roe and milt are exhausted. The time required for hatching out the spawn, is various with the different orders and families. In the same genera, or even in the same species, the time may vary. Much de- pends on climate and the temperature of the water ; the warmer streams hatching out the eggs before those of a lower temperature. The spawn of the Trout, which is deposited from the middle of September to the first of November, .produces the young from the first of December to the first of March, and in artificial ponds, if protected from the cold winds, the young fish are produced sooner, and grow faster than in streams of the forest. I have seen young Trout taken below an artificial pond, near Philadelphia, two inches long, in the latter part of April. Fish that spawn in still water generally deposit their ova on plants, which give out sufficient oxygen to promote fecun- dation. It is seldom that the young of any fish are taken by the angler during the first summer, as they avoid the waters where he finds his sport, and seek smaller streams, and shallower water, to escape the larger predatory fish ; the fact of their being of the same species as the destroyer, is no pro- tection to the small fry. It is unnecessary to go into an account of the mode of pro- GENERAL REMARKS ON FISH. 43 iluction of viviparous fish, tlie Shark, for instance, and others that produce their youug alive, as they are of little interest to the angler, as far as sport is concerned. Naturalists who confine themselves closely to in-door studies, sometimes adopt general rules and construct theories, to which observers of less scientific knowledge, but with more frequent opportunities for observation, find many exceptions. One would conclude from the writings of ichthyologists, that fish always desert their ova after fecundation, and, with slight precaution against enemies or accident, leave them to their fate; never caring for, or protecting their ova. It is true that manj^ families, including the Salmonidse, are reck- lessly improvident of their fecundated spawn ; male Trout have been found with their stomachs full of the roe of their asso- ciates on the same spawning-bed. But to the rule which in- door naturalists suppose to be general, there are many excep- tions ; some of them interesting cases of provident care in the protection of the impregnated spawn, and even of maternal solicitude- for their young. We might instance that of the little Sunfish, which spawns in the month of June, around the gravelly shores of mill-ponds, removing the pebbles and tmgs to the margin of its bed, which is frequently two or three feet in diameter, piling them up a few inches as a ram- part to its fortress, driving off all intruders, and keeping watch and ward until the young are hatched. The little Eed Fin, which spawns in communities, is frequently observed by the trout fisher constructing its mound of pebbles with skill and care. Scores or hundreds of them may be seen work- ing together assiduously, piling up alternate layers of gravel and impregnated spawn, until the top of the heap is some- times twelve or fifteen inches high, and its base three or four feet in diameter, leaving it a mass teeming with embryo life. The common Catfish of our mill-ponds and ditches may fre- 44 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK quently be seen with hei; family around "her, protecting and seeking feeding grounds for her dusky progeny. The Stickle- back builds a nest, mounts guard, and pugnaciously warns off all intruders of like, or even larger size. All fish, in spawning, instinctively seek water containing more or less atmospheric air; Carp, and other Cyprinidde requiring less for the vivification of their eggs than other fresh-water species. Griffith, in his Animal Kingdom, says some of the Pelagian genera spawn amongst floating grass and sea-weed, and says that broad bands of fish-spawn have been seen south of the equator, producing mile-long patches of unruffled surface. I doubt whether this can be so ; if true, such instances are rare exceptions to the general rule of spawning on the bottom. The family of Gaddidse, which includes Codfish, it is sup- posed spawn in deep water, though this cannot be at any con- siderable distance beneath the surface, as the solar light, which is necessary to the hatching of the ova, does not penetrate many fathoms. The knowledge attainable respecting the haunts, habits and breeding of Pelagian fish is necessarily limited. Oviparous animals are the most prolific, and of these, fish excel all others. A full-grown Carp is said to produce from one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand eggs, a Perch thirty thousand, a Pike from thirty to eighty thousand, and a Codfish a half a million. It is said that a single pair of Herrings, if allowed to reproduce undisturbed and multiply for twenty years, would not only supply the whole world with abundance of food, but would become inconveniently numerous. The average number of ova in a Salmon is stated at twelve thousand ; if it were possible that all these eggs produced fish, and they arrived at maturity, there would be twelve thousand Salmon, or six thousand pairs, whose produce, at the same GENERAL REMARKS ON FISH. 45 rate, would be seventy-two millions. At an average of ten pounds, these fish, of the third generation, would weigh seven hundred and twenty million pounds, or enough to load three hundred and twenty-two ships, of a thousand tons each. Some fish produce large ova, covered with horny shells. Some few, including the true shark, are viviparous, producing their young alive ; the eggs, of course, being fecundated in the abdomen ; but with all fish which contribute to the sport of the angler, the female casts her roe, which is impregnated by the milt of the male being cast over it. There are no hermaphrodites amongst fish, as has been supposed by some ichthyologists, who cite the Lamprey as one. It has been satisfactorily ascertained, that amongst all the vertebrates, on land or in the water, there are no such ex- ceptions. There are immutable laws in God's providence, which compel the migration of fish as well as of birds. Some species are anadromous, as the Salmon, Sea Trout, Smelt, Shad, and River Herring ; these change their habitation annually from the sea to fresh rivers, which they ascend for the purpose of spawning ; most of them with wonderful instinct returning, if there be no obstructions, to their native streams, and in their course supply us with food, when in their greatest physical perfection. After propagation, in meagre, lank condition, they seek the sea again, where, from the abundance and great nutritive quality of their food, they recuperate and grow rapidly. The young fry that go seaward diminutive in size, return the following spring or summer adult fish, perfect in their powers of reproduction. Some of the species common to the long rivers and great lakes of our interior, also change their abodes, traversing perhaps as great an extent of water as the Shad and Salmon, though not for the purpose of spawning. 4:6 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. That law of nature, tliougli, whicli impels the migration of <^ome genera to distant waters of the ocean is most wonderful. Many Herring and Codfish come to us from the Arctic seas, the former are the surplus production of that great storehouse thrown off, never to return ; furnishing in their distant jour- jiey, food to the barbarians of the coast, and Avealth and occu- pation to vast numbers of civilized men ; and their yearly advent is looked for, and depended upon, with as much confi- dence as the return of summer. The Scombridse, embracing the different species of Mack- erel, come to our latitudes from the south ; their natal shores and waters unknown ; they come all of them adult fish, fur- nishing food and employment to thousands, as well as a great maritime school for seamen ; it is most likely that most of these also never return to the regions from which they mi- grated. Many fish which are bred in the Gulf of Mexico, and the bays and inlets of our southern coast, arrive in our waters mature fish, and are found all summer in our markets. Amongst these are the splendid Spanish Mackerel, the Sheepshead, Croaker, Barb, Spot, and Mullet. Thes^' we may reasonably set down as the surplus production of the waters where they breed, and probably never return from their long northern journey. They are not known to us before the age of puberty, while their young are found in great shoals in the shallows of the Gulf of Mexico and our southern bays. The Sheepshead, in the New Orleans and Mobile markets, are most of them pa.n-fish, from a half-pound to a pound and a half in weight, while they are seldom found in this latitude below four or five pounds. From any point of the southern coast which approaches the Gulf Stream, fish, by coming up with its current, would be sensible of little or no change of temperature. One cause of the migration of southern fish GENERAL REMARKS ON FISH. 47 may be attributed to tlie sea- weed whicli comes northward with the Gulf Stream ; floating on its surface, and amongst, and in it, are found small Crustacea, minute Mollusca, gelati- nous animals, and the small fry, which many species follow to feed upon. It was supposed at one time that Shad and Herring, which enter our rivers for the purpose of spawning, migrated from the south, where it was thought they hibernated. Such sup- position was based upon the fact that these fish are found at an earlier period of the season in the bays and rivers of a more southern latitude on our coast. But it is now thought, with much greater show of reason, that they enter those waters earlier only because the season for spawning there, precedes that of our more northern rivers, and that these fish, as well as Salmon, do not wander any considerable distance from the mouths of rivers and bays from which they migrated the preceding summer or autumn. We should not omit, in these general remarks, to mention the peculiar powers given to some fish of existing for a time out of their natural element, and retaining their vitality when animation is apparently suspended ; and also the wonderful vitality of the impregnated spawn. It is well known by many of our city anglers, that the little Koach, which is taken in winter, and thrown upon the ice or snow, even if it is entirely frozen, will become quite lively if placed in hydrant water of ordinary temperature ; this is also said to be the case with the Trout, which, if transported in winter when frozen, will swim about, if placed in spring water. It is said, however, that fish once frozen, lose their sight ; the delicate organization of the eye being destroyed by its liquids having been congealed ; if this be a fact, it may prevent their breeding, on being transferred to other waters, in such condition. 48 AMERICANANGLER'SBOOK When the temperature of the air is below sixty-five, it is very easy to wrap a Eoach or Chub of six inches long, in a wet handkerchief, and bring it home alive. White Perch, Lahrax pallidus, taken towards sundown in cool weather, if placed carefully in a basket, will live more than an hour, and be as lively in a few minutes in a tub of hydrant water as in the river. A friend assured me that once, when a boy, during a driz- zling rain, he got up into a cherry tree, and in order to keep hi ; string of Catfish, which he had lately caught, from the depredations of some hogs beneath, he took them up also, while he got his fill of cherries, and that he forgot his fish in his hurried departure, but found on going back for them the same afternoon, that they were nearly all alive, and evinced it by flapping their tails. Here was an instance of fish living out of water with a switch thrust through one < f their gills. It is stated on good authority, that in Germany, Carp are even kept in a basket or net in a damp cellar, through winter, with the snout protruding through wet moss, and fed with crumbs of bread, and fattened after the manner of cramming poultry. In China, the spawn of fish is a regular article of traffic, and is exported from one part of the country to another, after being impregnated with the milt. It is an established fact, that on draining Carp ponds in Grermany, to cultivate the soil, which had been flooded and made a fish-pond of, for the purpose of enriching it, that the spawn of the Carp, left after drawing oft' the water, does not lose its vitality, though exposed for two or three years to the heat of summer and frost of winter ; and that, when the field is again converted into a pond, there is no necessity for restocking it with Carp, but the ova remaining beneath the GENERAL REMARKSONFISH. 49 surface of the ground produces a stock of Carp ; thus keeping up an alternation of crops — fish and vegetables. The ability of a lish to return to its vitality out of water, depends in a great degree on keeping the delicate tissue of its gills wet. For this reason, a few of them have a peculiar construction in the head, in which water is retained after leaving a river or lake : the gills being kept wet by percola- tion from this reservoir. Such lish sometimes have also the power of using the lower fins as feet or legs, and are enabled, by these two singular gifts of nature, to pass over land from one body of water to another. Incredible as it may appear, it is even said, that in India, there is a species of fish that by an extraordinary use of its fins can climb trees. A friend, who is curious on such subjects, has handed me the following account of those that travel over land ; it was clipped from one of our daily papers. " Sir Emmerson Tennant's account of fishes walking across the country, has excited much astonishment and no little incredulity in England, The following passage from the Penang Gaz^te, is singularly corroborative of that gentleman's statement : — " 'A correspondent in Province Wellesley informs us that while passing along during a shower of rain, the wide sandy plain which bounds the sea-coast in the neighborhood of iPanaga, he witnessed a singular overland migration of Ikan Puyu (a fish much resembling the Tench in size, form, and color), from a chain of fresh-water lagoons lying immediately within the sea-beach, toward the second chain of lagoons, about a hundred yards distant inland. The fish were in groups of from three to seven, and were pursuing their way in a direct line towards a second chain of lagoons, at the rate of nearly a mile an hour. When disturbed they turned round and endea- vored to make their way back to the lagoon they had left, and 4 50 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. would very soon have reached it, had they not been secured by the Malays who accompanied our correspondent, and who looked upon the migration as an ordinary occurrence at this season of the year. Upw^ards of twenty w^ere thus taken during a w^alk of about half a mile, and no doubt many more could have been obtained had the Malays been allowed a little delay. The ground these fish were traversing was nearly level, and only scantily clothed with grass and creeping salolaceous plants, which offered very slight obstruction to their progress. This singular habit will account for the rapidity with which the paddy fields in Province Wellesley become stocked with fish when they are flooded by the rains. The lagoons from which they come contain water throughout the year, while those toward which they are going are mere hollows, filled by the late rains.' " Although digestion in fish is rapid, they are capable of living longer without food than land vertebrates, and appa- rently suffer little from an abstinence of many days. Fish of quick growth digest food rapidly. It is said that a Pike will digest a fish of one-fourth its length in forty minutes. If this be so, it sufficiently accounts for the circumstance of this and other predatory species being found so often without food in their stomachs, and little or nothing in their intestines. It is yet a mystery, how Shad fatten and increase in flavor after their appearance in fresh water ; no food ever having been detected in their stomachs after leaving salt water. The same emptiness of stomach is also common to the Salmon when taken in fresh water: this peculiarity appears to prevail with anadromous fish. The several species of the genus Coregomis (Whitefish) of our northern lakes, are also said to be found generally with empty stomachs. There is a theory adopted by many, that such fish as the last mentioned, as well as the Shad, live GENERAL REMARKS ON FISH. 51 on the animalculae retained in tlie passage of the water throTigli their gills. Shad caught in the salt water of the Chesapeake Bay and brought to thivS city, have been found with small fish in their stomachs, but they were of species known only in salt water. All fish are more or less omnivorous I have opened Eock- fish, which are known to be predatory in their habits, and found the tender shoots and stalks of aquatic grasses in the throat and pouch. The fish which furnish sport to the angler, have generally eight fins ; two pectorals, two ventrals, one anal, two dorsals, and one caudal. The pectorals, as the term implies, are the breast fins, and project from the humeral bones ; they are homologous to the arms in man, or the fore legs of quadrupeds. The ventrals, named from being attached to the belly, in most spine-rayed fish, are immediately or nearly under the pectorals ; in soft- finned fish, about midway between the head and tail. The anal is immediately behind the vent ; the dorsals on the back ; and the caudal, which is generally called the tail, is the hindmost fin. This last fin is the chief motor ; it is used as an oar in sculling, and acts also as a rudder : the dorsals and anal preserve the equilibrium, or, in nautical phrase, keep the fish on an "even keel." The ventrals are used principally in rising, and the pectorals in backing, and keep- ing the fish stationary ; when they are used alternately, and not simultaneously, as any other pair of fins. The eye of the fish has no lids, as land animals have, but a very thin transparent membrane drawn over it, which does not give it the power of excluding the light ; hence the eyes are always open, whether awake or asleep — ^if a fish can be said to sleep. By the prominence of its eyes it is able to direct its sis^ht, somewhat backward and downward, as well AMERICAN AN(JLER\S BOOK, as forward and upward. The iris is capable of no contraction or expansion, and in order to avoid an objectionable degree of light, it seeks greater depths, or the shadj^ banks of the stream. As the fish may be said to have no neck, its head being set immovably on its shoulders and spine, it is neces- sary to change the position of its whole body, in order to obtain much variety in the direction of its vision. The nostrils are situated between the eyes and the snout ; they are double, and not constructed in such manner as to allow the water to pass through them in breathing, that func- tion being performed entirely by the gills. Notwithstanding this, smell appears to be the most acute of all the senses in fish, and one which contributes much to procuring their food. The gill-covers, in the generality of fish, are divided into four parts : the preopercle, the opercle, or gill-cover proper, the subopercle, and the interopercle. The opercles are in- tended as a protection to the delicate organization of the gills and branchiostegous rays, and open and close as the water passes through them. That brilliant substance which imparts a metallic lustre of so many hues to fish, is secreted in the dermis or skin, beneath the scales ; the scales themselves are transparent, and are formed of a horny substance, though, in some families, the outer covering is of a bony substance, and frequently covered with an enamel. The "lateral line," is a series of perforated scales, which extend in most fish from the gill- cover to the root of the tail. The gills consist of series of leaflets, suspended to certain arches, termed " Os hyocles ;" each leaflet is covered with a tissue of innumerable blood-vessels. The water which enters the mouth- escapes through the gills posteriorly, and the air contained in the water acts on the blood, which is constantly impelled through the gills from the heart. The venous blood, GENERAL REMARKS ONFISH. 53 after being changed into arterial, by its contact with the air i n its passage through the gills, passes into the arterial trunk, situated under the spine, and is dispersed by diminishing blood-vessels, through the body, whence it returns by the veins to the heart. As Fish breathe through the intervention of water alone, and restore to their blood its arterial qualities, by means of the oxygen which is suspended in the water, their blood is naturally cold, often below the temperature of the water they inhabit. Immediately under the back bone is the air-bladder, divided into two lobes or parts, which, by expansion or compression, enables the fish to change its specific gravity, and maintain any desired elevation in the water. In con- nection with the gills, the air-bladder is homologous to the lungs in land animals. There is no outward ear in fishes ; internally there is a sack representing the vestibule, filled with gelatinous fluid. By frequent experiments, Mr. Eonalds, the author of " The Fly-Fisher's Entymology," ascertained that trout are not dis- turbed by frequent and heavy discharges of firearms, if the flash of the gun is concealed, and justly holds in derision, the notion, that fish are frightened by persons talking on a stream. They are more easily startled by the sudden jar of a heavy tramp on an overhanging bank, or a thump on tlie bottom of a boat ; the vibration from either of these causes, acting on the nerves generally, rather than on the ear of the fish. There are instances recorded, however, where fish have been called by the ringing of a bell, or a familiar voice. There are no organs of voice in fish ; though some, — as the Weakfish, Croaker, Catfish, and Drum, make a croaking noise when taken from the water, but these sounds are en- tirely ventral. The sense of taste is necessarily deficient, or wholly want- 54 AMERICAN A N G L E R'S BOOK iLig ; the tongues of some species are nothing more than hard cartilage, in others the tongue is armed with teeth. None have the salivary glands to lubricate the parts with the moisture necessary to the sensation of taste. The sense of feeling is confined almost entirely to the nose ; most fish being covered with scales, which are of a horny or bony substance, with as little sensation as a man's finger-nails. In some, as the southern Garfish, the scales are enamelled, and it is said, resist a bullet if not fired point blank. The Catfish, and also the Barb (a species of Umhrina) have barbels or cirri, by which they appear to detect the nature of substances and whether they be food or not. These organs of touch, as they may be termed, are provided by nature to assist them in their nocturnal search, or groping in deep water for food. Yarrell, in his work on the Fishes of Great Britain, says : " There are external openings to each nostril, surrounded by several orifices, which allow the escape of a mucous secretion. These apertures are larger and more numerous about the heads of fishes generally, than over the other parts ; the viscous secretion defending the skin from the action of the Avater. Whether the fish inhabits stream or lake, the current of the water in one instance, or progression through it in the other, carries this defensive secretion backwards, and diffuses it over the whole body. In fishes with small scales, this secretion is in proportion more abundant.'' The latter part of the above quotation sufficiently explains the presence of a large supply of this mucous secretion on Trout and Catfish, and the increased quantity of slime on Eels. Teeth, with which fish are generally well supplied, are not nof only serviceable in seizing their prey, but by their peculiar position and form assist them in swallowing it. Teeth are found in many genera on the maxillaries, inter- maxiHaries, palatine, vomer, and tongue; sometimes also on GENERAL REMARKS ON FISH. 5-5 the arclies of the gills, as in the Pike ; but only on the pha- ryngeal bone of the Chub — apparently backing the assertion of the little boy, who said it had '' swallowed its teeth." Teeth are of some importance to the naturalist, in deter- mining genera and species. The observing angler will know from them, the habits of fish, whether they are predatory, or live on vegetable substances, or by crushing molluscs and Crustacea. Fish shed their teeth, the new coming up beneath the old and displacing them, or the new tooth appears at the side, pushing out the old one and occupying its place. The fish being so different in its structure and internal organization from land vertebrates, and inhabiting a cold, dense element, must necessarily differ also in its emotional nature. It is coldly obtuse in its sexual emotions, and in its cares or joys of maternity ; no feeling of friendship attaches it to a higher being, as with the dog. With blunted sense of hear- ing and voiceless, no call of mate attracts it, or draws forth response, as in the bird. And in the dense medium through which it looks, no object delights its lidless eye. Eeproducing its species, or migrating in obedience to a law of its nature, it appears with many families, as if condemned to roam the wastes of ocean, or lie torpidly in silent depths, until storm or hunger or enemy incites it to activity. Yet this class of animals, so cold, so dull in its sensations ; is one of the most beautiful and wonderful of the Almighty's creations — nothing exceeds it in its symmetrical propor- tions ; no form so well adapted for motion through the element it inhabits ; no organs of motion so well contrived for imparting rapid and easy progress as its fins ; no bur- nished or molten silver, or gold, more brilliant than the varied reflections of its sides ; no armor so light, or so well adapted to its wearer, as its lustrous scales. It will always AMERICAN ANULER'S BOOK. remain an object of interest to man, from its beauty, the strangeness of its habits, the mystery of its haunts, and its trackless wanderings. Ichthyology.^— To the angler, this is the most interesting of the natural sciences. It received little attention until the time of Linnaeus. Afterwards Cuvier, by a more natural and judicious classification, divided the Ichthyic class into Orders, Families, Genera, and Species, which has been adopted in the main, by all ichthyologists who have succeeded him. Of the four orders established by Professor Agassiz, already mentioned in reference to palaeontology ; the two last, Ctenoids and Cycloids only, come properly within the scope of the angler's ichthyology. The Ctenoids are those whose scales are pectinated on the edges ; these comprise all the AcanthoptSerygii, which em brace the Perch family ; and a few of the Malacopterygii. The Cycloids have scales with a continuous margin, and include most of the Malacopterygii, or at least those with which the angler has to do. The term " Acanthopterygii" is derived from the Creek words, acantha, a thorn, and 'pterrugion, a little feather. " Malacopterygii" has its origin in the Greek word malacos soft. The wood-cut on the next page is introduced to elucidate the difference between these two divisions, and to explain at the same time the position of the different fins, and their scientific names. The upper figure represents the outline of a Trout, one of the Malacopterygii ; the lower, that of our White Perch, one of the Acanthopterygii. The first fin on the back of either figure is the first dorsal; the second back fin is the second dorsal; the fins just behind the gill-covers are the pectorals ; the ventral fins in the Malacopterygii are about midway on GENERAL REMARKS ON FISH. 'j I the belly ; in the Acanthopterygii, they are just below the 2:>ecioraIs, or very near them ; the anal fin in both is just behind the anus or vent; the caudal, the hindmost fin, is commonlv called the tail. Of fish tiiat come under the notice of the angler, the Maia- copterygii embrace those that are called '• abdominal,^' from Having the ventral -fins on the belly. The Acanthopterygii include the '• thoracic,'' which have the ventrals near the ihroat. Some families of the former division have only one dorsal fin, others two, and some even three, as the Codfish. The Acanthopterygii have either one or two dorsals ; if only one. the anterior rays are spinous, and the posterior soft and flexible ; if they have two dorsals, the first is composed of sharp spines, and the second of rays, or one or two spines followed by soft rays : this division has also one or more spines on the pectorals and on the anal fin. With the excep- tion of the Salmonidde and Esocid-de, nearly all of the game- fish the angler meets with, belong to the Acanthopterygii. The Acanthopterygii belong to the order of Ctenoids, and the Malacopterygii mostly to the Cycloids. 58 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK The reader will observe the peculiar shape of the second dorsal of the first figure ; it is one of the characteristic marks of the Salmonidse. No other family the angler meets with, has it except the Saluridse (Catfish). This fin is adipose, generally opaque, and without rays — being nothing more than a flexible cartilage. The first figure of the annexed wood-cut represents a front view of the open mouth of one of the species of the Salmon family, and shows the position of the teeth. Those along the centre of the roof of the mouth above 1, are on the vomer ; those on the sides above 2, are on the palate ; those around 3 are the pharyngeal teeth ; those on the edge of the upper jaw, are the upper or super maxillaries ; and, those on the edge of the lower jaw, the lower or inferior maxillaries. l^he second figure of the same plate shows the anatomical stru(:ture of the head, including a side view of the teeth. 1 is the preopercle or fore gill-cover ; 2, the opercle or gill- cover proper ; 8, the subopercle or under gill-cover ; 4, the interopercle or intermediate gill-cover ; and 6, the branchios- tegous rays, or, as they are more generally termed, the branchial rays. By reference to the foregoing wood-cuts, and reading with some care, scientific descriptions of fish, an angler may be al)k' to describe any species, which may be unknown to him, GENERAL REMARKS ON^FTSH. 59 with sufficient accuracy, for the naturalist to refer it to its family, genus, and species. Any description of a fisli, is of course rendered more intelli- gible by an accompanying sketch, even if it is rudely done. And if the angler will describe, as accurately as he can, the general outline and form ; the proportions of the length of the head to that of its body (exclusive of the tail) ; its breadth, as compared with its length; its color, markings, and the course of the lateral line ; the gill-cover and fore gill- cover, whether either or both have scales, and on which they are largest — mentioning also, if the gill-cover has spines on its posterior margin ; the number of branchial rays, fin rays, and spines, also the color of the fins ; the dental arrangement, and then the general local names : he may contribute much that will be interesting to others, while it will be a source of satisfaction to himself. Linnaeus received his description of American fishes from Dr. Gordon, of South Carolina. Bloch, and Schoef (who was a surgeon in the British army, during the American Revolution), as well as Catesby, contributed, though meagrely, to our ichthyology. The descriptions of the latter were mostly of the fish of the Caribbean Sea, and our Southern coast. In 1820, Rafinesque, a French naturalist, published at Lexington, Kentucky, an account of the fishes of the Ohio and its tributaries. His nomenclature, as well as his mode of description and classification, differs from that of Cuvier ; his descriptions, generally, are not minute, but some of them are interesting. His work is not illustrated by drawings. Bosc gave Lacepede descriptions of some species found in ou-r waters. In 1814, Dr. Mitchil, of New York, entered with some zeal into the work ; and, in periodicals, described more species than had been before noticed. In 1886, Dr. Richardson produced his 'Fauna Boreali." go A M E R I C A N A N G L E R ' S B 0 0 K whicli includes some of our Northern genera. Dr. Storer, in 1839, published an able report of the fishes of Massachusetts. De Witt Clinton, Mr. Wood, of Philadelphia, Eedfield and Haldeman, also contributed to this branch of natural science. It was reserved, however, for Dr. De Kay to give the first elaborate description of American fish, which he did by authority of the state of New York in 1842 ; his work is illustrated by engravings that are badly colored, and some of them are incorrectly drawn. He enumerates thirty-two fami- lies, one hundred and fifty-six genera, and four hundred and forty species. His description includes the Lacustrine genera, as well as those of the coast of New York. Amongst the latter are many that are emigrants from Southern waters, which fact he fails to note. Dr. Holbrook, of Charleston, has recently published an interesting work on the fishes of South Carolina, which is of much interest to the angler, as it con- tains an account of the habits, as well as scientific descrip- tions of many game-fish, common to this latitude and the Western States. His work is beautifully illustrated with colored engravings. Grirard, Gill, and Professor Spencer F. Baird, of the Smithsonian Institute, have recently made valuable additions to American ichthyology. In closing these observations on the natural history of fish, it is proper to remark, that they are those of a mere angler, who aspires to no place amongst the learned doctors, and who has picked up such information, as he has imparted to the general reader, from the books of the Academy of Natural Sciences, and from his own observations noted here and there, as any fish that takes a bait has interested him. He presents what is here written with the hope of inciting other anglers to a study of the fishes that afford so much pleasure in the taking of them. C A AFTER III. TACKLE IN GENEEAL. " Let me tell 3'ou, Scholar, that Diogenes walked on a day, with a friend, to see a country fair ; where he saw ribbons, and looking-glasses, and nutcrackers, and fiddles, and hobby-horses, and many other gim- cracks ; and having observed them, and all the other finninibnins that make a complete -jouiitry fair; he said to his friend, " Lord, how many things art there in this world of which Diogenes hath no need !" Walton. CHAPTER III. TACKLE IN GENERAL. Hooks. — Sinkers. — Swivels. — Gut. — Leaders. — Snoods. — Lines. — Reels. — Rods. — Bow Dipsys. In these observations it would be well to have some set- tled plan or order in which Tackle should be mentioned ; I have, therefore, thought it better to commence at the bot- tom and go upwards. Hooks. — Of the various kind of hooks sold in this country, the Kirby is mostly used. The point of this hook is not in the same plane with the shank, but is bent to one side, and is there-fore less apt to draw from the mouth of the fish without hookino;, than the Limerick. There are several varieties of the Kirby ; those made with short shanks and of stout wire (some of which have flattened heads), are most appropriate for fishing with dead bait, or where the fish are large, or their mouths hard. The long-shanked Kirby is to be preferred for live-bait fishing, or where much nicety is required in putting on a worm, brandling, or grasshopper : they are made of fine wire, and the barb not so rank as the Limerick. These are some- times called "Weak Trout Hooks" b}^ tackle venders. Limerick hooks, although preferred by many on account (6^) (;4. AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK of their superior temper, are better adapted to tying flies on, than for bait-hooks. The O'Shanghnessy differs materially from the common Limerick, in the shape of the bend, and in the direction of its point, which sets out at a slight angle from the shank ; it is much surer of hooking than the old Limerick, and is preferred by all anglers who tie their own flies. Salmon hooks of this shape, some of which are hammered after being bent, are highly esteemed by Salmon fishers. Trout "hooks of the O'Shaughnessy shape, are sometimes made of very fine wire, lightness being a desideratum in artificial flies, particularly in droppers. The Limerick hook, as its name implies, as well as the O'Shaughnessy, which bears the name of its original maker, were made first in Limerick, Ireland. They have since been imitated and made at a much lower price in England, where most of the hooks known by these names are now manufactured ; they are not as well tempered, though, as the Irish hooks. The " Sneck bend" is much used by fly-fishers in Scotland, though I have failed to discover its merits. The peculiarity of this hook consists in its bend, which assumes more the form of the three sides of a square than a continuous curve. I have never heard or read of any plausible reason for its shape. The "Virginia hook," it is said, was first made by a black- smith named Rivere, in the lower part of Virginia, and at one time was held in much esteem by bait fishermen, on account of its strength and supposed adaptability to fish of all sizes. Its peculiarity consists in its shape and the tapering of the steel from the top of the shank to the bend. I have reason for doubts as to the person and place of its invention. TACKLE IN GENERAL. 65 J J J J u u u u UU \j TACKLE IN GENERAL. as I have found them common at Mackinaw amongst the old habitans, at an early period of my fishing experience. It is said, that Prince Rupert first taught the art of tem- pering hooks, to a fish-hook maker of London by the name of Kirby, who transmitted the art to his descendants, and his name to the hook now so commonly used. Sir Humphrey Davy and other English anglers in later years, have suc- ceeded in making hooks which did them good service. There are other hooks kept by the tackle stores which we think it unnecessary to describe here ; as, double-hooks, eel- hooks, snap-hooks, sockdolagers, kc, most of which are not worth the notice of the angler. On the plate of hooks on the opposite page,* the top row represents the O'Shaughnessy. Commencing on the right, the first size is No. 2, and then 4, 6, 8, and 10, in succession towards the left. In the second row, No. 1 is a short-shanked Kirby ; No. 2 the old style Limerick ; No. 3 a Sneck bend ; No. 4 an Aber- deen. The third is a row of Salmon hooks, the sizes according to the standard adopted by the author of "The Book of the Salmon ;" the largest is No. 4, the next No. 6, the next No. 8, and the smallest No. 10. There are intermediate sizes, as well as three sizes larger than No. 4, viz. : 3, 2, 1 ; but they are seldom, if ever, used on this side of the Atlantic. Nos. 7 and 8 being the principal sizes. Of the lower row, 5 is a "Shanghai," 6 a long-shanked Kirby, 7 a Virginia hook, and 8 a stout short- shanked Kirby. The two remaining figures are Swivels ; the one to the * I am under obHgations to Mr. John Krider (Gun and Tackle Store, corner of Second and Walnut Streets, Philadelphia), for this handsome woodcut of Hooks, which he had prepared expressly for this book. 68 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. right is a ''hook" Swivel, and that on the left a "box" Swivel. Sinkers. — In bottom or bait fishing, sinkers of various sizes and shapes are used ; the weight proportioned to the tide or current. Those in general use are split shot. The sliding- sinker is oblong with a hole running longitudinally through the centre. The advantage of this is, that the bait may drift off with the tide while the sinker is comparatively at rest. The swivel sinker is a combination of sinker and swivel, which allows the snood and bait to revolve ; it is seldom used. In bottom fishing or trolling deep, where the bottom is rocky, the sinker is apt to be caught foul. To provide against loss of leader and hooks, in such cases, it is better to have the sinker attached, where the leader joins the line, by a piece of weak gut or thread ; so that the angler, if he is obliged to pull away at the risk of losing some of his bottom tackle, may only lose his sinker. Swivels are necessary when the bait is required to spin or revolve. The box-swivel is used by looping the leader or bottom through one ring and the line through the other. When it is necessary to disengage the bait and snood from the leader, as in trolling for Pike, the hook-swivel is convenient, and in many cases indispensable. All bottom fishers and trollers should be well supplied with iiese useful little articles ; steel swivels should be used for fresh- water, and brass swivels for salt-water fishing. Floats are made of cork, hollow wood, or quills, of a great variety of shapes and sizes. The quill is preferred for Eoach, Chub, and other fish that bite delicately. The size of the float should always be regulated by the weight of the sinker ; the shape is a matter of fancy. I have whittled shapely floats out of the bark of a pine tree. Gut Leaders, Snoods, Traces, &c. — Silk-worm gut, which TACKLE IN GENERAL. 69 forms so important a part of the angler's outfit, is tlie sub- stance of the worm in an immature state, and is made by steeping the insect in vinegar or some other acid, a short time before it is ready to commence spinning its cocoon, stretching it to the required length, and securing the ends until the strand is dry. It is then divested of any ex- traneous substance by rubbing. It is imported from China, Spain, and Italy, in hanks of a hundred strands, and sold by all the tackle stores, the price varying according to its size, length, and roundness. A scientific friend informed me once, that he had produced the veritable article, by stretching out the worms after steeping them in vinegar, and securing the heads and tails in notches made in each end of a shingle. Grut is considered a superfluity by most rustic anglers. Though not always essential, in fine angling it is indispensa- ble. Its strength is astonishing, as every angler knows from experience. It is almost transparent in water, when dyed of a neutral tint. This color is to be preferred to any other, a receipt for dyeing which will be found in another part of this book. Leaders. — Although double gut and twisted gut leaders are recommended, I have found the single, when stout, roundf and of the best quality, to answer every demand made on at by the strength of the fish. Single gut is certainly neater, and when it is borne in mind that the spring of the rod, and the judicious use of the reel, contribute so much to lessen -the strain on line and leader, one must reasonably conclude, that gut which will bear a strain of five pounds would secure a fish of any size he may be lucky enough to hook. ^For fly-fishing, the gut lengths of a leader should always be joined by a neat knot ; the double knot is preferable. The leaders sold at the tackle stores, generally have the ends of the gut secured with silk lashings, which are liable to fray 70 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. out, and being usually of some briglit tint, deceive the fish into rising at one of these frayed lashings for a fly, and indis- pose them to take the cheat you intended for them. On a subsequent page, the reader will find directions for making leaders and tying gut, with descriptions of the knots used by anglers and tackle makers. Leaders, bottoms, and snoods, are made also of horsehair and sometimes of " gimp" (the article of which the coarse strings of violins are made). The latter is used for Pike, Bass, Sheepshead, Bluefish, or where gut is liable to be frayed by coming in contact with sharp rocks, or to be bitten off by the fish. Anglers who have not the skill or patience to tie on their own hookS; purchase them already snooded at the tackle stores. A more economical and convenient way for one who can tie them himself, is to cut up a gut length into pieces of two or three inches — short refuse pieces will answer as well — and forming a short loop, seize it on to the shank of the hook. In leaders for fly-fishing, the gut nearest the line should be stout, each length diminishing in size to the finest that can be procured, where it is tied to the stretcher fly. Lines are made of flax or plaited silk for bottom-fishing; flax is preferred when it is necessary to make a long cast, as in Bass or Pike-fishing, as it runs more freely through the rings or guides, and the end of the tip. Plaited silk is to be used invariably for trolling from a boat, as it does not kink in passing through the water, as a twisted line is apt to do. The best lines for fly-fishing are made of silk and hair; they taper gradually from the end which you attach to the axle of the reel, to the end which joins the leader. I would here remark, that in fly-fishing, the usual clumsy loop, or a TACKLE IN GENERAL. 71 knot iu tlie end of a reel-line should be dispensed with, by- seizing on a length of stout gut to the end of the line, to re- main there permanently ; the leader should be attached to this piece of gut with a neat knot. By this contrivance, you avoid the contingency of having fish rise at the loop, as they will at a bit of frayed silk, as mentioned on the preceding page. A bait or trolling line should have a gut-loop seized on the end, which loop is fastened to the leader by a similar loop in its end, as described in our article on tackle-making. Oiled- silk plaited lines are frequently used for trolling, but more generally for Salmon-fishing. Eeels. — Many innovations have been made on the old English Reel by American anglers and mechanics ; some of these, it is contended, are not improvements. The balance-handle, patent-check, and jewelled bearings of the modern multiplier, are certainly desiderata in reels used for Bass, and are now considered indispensable by crack fishers; but the simple reel with a click, and without the balance-handle, is to be preferred for fly-fishing ; it is less liajDle than the multiplier to get out of order, and the line is not so apt to be caught by the handle or crank. An im- provement in English Salmon-reels has been lately intro- duced, which precludes the possibility of the latter contin- gency : it is the insertion of a short handle or pin in a disk, revolving parallel to, and against the outer plate ; this im- provement is applicable only to simple reels for fly-fishing. The reader will find a wood -cut of one, in a subsequent article on Tackle for Salmon-fishing. Some anglers prefer the multiplier even for fly-fishing, on account of its enabling them to shorten line faster, if a trout on being hooked should run towards them. This seldom happens in wading a brook or creek ; but in deep, still waters, 72 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. wlicre the angler fishes from a boat, and large trout endanger his tackle, such a necessity sometimes arises. Whether it be a multiplier or simple reel, in fly-fishing for Trout, it should be small ; for a greater length than twenty yards of line is seldom if ever required. By the aid of the balance-handle (an American inven- tion which helps to keep up the momentum when the bait is cast), reels have been made to run with so little friction, that the motion imparted by a whirl of the crank, with the hand, causes the spool to revolve for two minutes. The bearings of the more costly reels are made of jewels. I know of one made by an amateur mechanic, without the jewels, which will run for a minute and a half. Eeels of this kind are used mostly by Bass-fishers, who make long casts, when it is desirable that the line should run out as freely as possible. In all reels a short axle is to be preferred, as it enables one to wind up the line quicker and more compactly on the spool. A well-made reel does not jar or clatter, but while the journals fit nicely, they run easily in their bearings, and the inner plates of the spool revolve without friction in the outer. Rods. — Although rods are still imported from England, and those made by her celebrated tackle-makers are thought by many to possess some qualities not found in American rods, the latter as a general rule are equal to the English, and in many respects better adapted to the requirements of our anglers ; the metallic tip and guides being preferred by all (in any but fly-rods) to the English mode of having rings for the line to pass through, and the usual wire loop at the tip. In bass, pike, and trolling rods, they are now con- sidered indispensable, as the line passes through with less friction, and in casting, the line is less apt to get foul. TACKLE IN GENERAL. 73 There is a diversity of opinion as to the weight and length of rods for various kinds of fishing ; it is much a matter of fancy. The woods in general use are ash for the butt, hickory for the second and third joints, and lance, iron- wood, or bamboo for the tips ; of course they should be well seasoned. The best materials for a fly-rod, are ash for the butt, iron- wood for the middle joint, and bamboo for the tip. Flj^-rods in three pieces are to be preferred, as they require fewer ferules, and distribute the spring of the rod more equally through its whole length. It is better for those who have patience and knack, to join the tip to the middle piece with a neat splice, wrapped with coarse, well-waxed silk, making only one ferule necessary. The angler whose park of artillery consists of one piece ot ordnance, should possess himself of a general rod with a hollow butt, in which he may keep his tips of various lengths and sizes ; this rod with its variety of pieces, may be put together for trolling, for bait-fishing, and should occasion call for it, may even be used as a fly-rod, although it is a kind of a makeshift. A general rod, if made in pieces of two feet, can be conveniently carried in a travelling trunk ; in joints of this length the ferules should be short, fit well, and with- out the usual wooden sockets. By dispensing with the latter and havicg the ferules short, the elasticity of the rod is less impaired. I shall give my notions of the rods appropriate for differ- ent kinds of fishing, as I describe each fish and the manner of ang^lino^ for it ; and advise that the best rod should be bought for any or each kind of fishing ; though, let me here say, the most expensive is not always the most suitable. The Bow Dipsy. — A friend has lately shown me a Chinese contrivance, which was brought over many years since by an ^^ AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. old East India merclaaiit ; it may have caused the introduc- tion of the " bow-dipsy" in Philadelphia. This is a piece of whalebone bent at right angles, each side or arm being fifteen to eighteen inches in length, with a snood attached to the ends. It is lowered to the bottom by means of a hand-line, and a conical leaden sinker fastened ten or twelve inches beneath the angle. It is well adapted for taking small fish in any rapid tideway (especially White Perch), where they collect in schools and bite rapidly. It is braced by lateral pieces of cord, which cause the whalebone to give and resume its position as the fish takes the bait — making it almost sure to hook him. I have heard of forty dozen White Perch being taken in the Delaware by three fishermen, in the last two hours of an ebb-tide, with this strange-looking con- trivance. The tackle used exclusively in fly-fishing, I will mention under its appropriate head, in a subsequent article. There is a great deal of superfluous tackle pictured and described in English books on angling. There is the clearing ring, the angler's friend (a curved blade sharpened on the inner edge), baiting-needle, disgorger, paternoster, kill-devil, a plummet to get the depth of water, &c., &c., which would better grace the window of a tackle shop, or a museum of useless tackle, than an angler's wallet. It is amusing and even wonderful, what an amount of such stuff" an ardent, green angler, with a flush pocket, can collect. As he grows older in the art, of course he throws it away, or imposes it as a present on some one no less verdant than he was himself a few summers before, exclaiming with that ancient philoso- pher : " Lord, how many things there are in this world of which Diog^enes hath no need 1" CHAPTER IV. THE PERCH FAMILY " As inward love breeds outward talk. The hound some praise, and some the hawk : Some better pleased with private sport, Use tennis, some a mistress court : But these delights I neither wish, Nor envy, while I freely fish. " Who hunts, doth oft in danger ride ; Who hawks, lures oft both far and wide; Who uses games, shall often prove A loser ; but who falls in love. Is fettered in fond Cupid's snare ; My angle breeds me no such care. " Of recreation there is none So free as fishing is alone : All other pastimes do no less Than mind and body both possess : My hand alone my work can do, So I can fish and study too." Walton. CHAPTER IV. THE PERCH FAMILY — PERCID^. General Remarks ox the Percid^. Great number of American genera and species. — Paucity of European Species. — Distinguishing marks. — Their abundance and variety in the Valley of the Mississippi. — Migra- tory habits. The Rockfish or Striped Bass. Labrax Lineatus. — Rockfish Tackle. — Rockfishing on the lower Rappahannock. The White Perch. Lahrax pallidus. — Perch Fishing. The White Bass of the Lakes. Lahrax albidus. — White Bass taken with the artificial fly. Fresh Water Bass of the South and West. Grystes salmoides. — Bass Fishing. — Bass Fly Fishing. Black Bass of the Lakes. Grystes nigricans. — Trolling for Black Bass with spoon, and with artificial flies. The Striped Bass of the Ohio. Perca chrysops. The Short Striped Bass. Oswego Bass. The Crappie or Sac-a-lai. Pomoxis hexicanthus. The Yellow Barred Perch. Perca fiavescens. The Sunfish or Sunny. Pomotis vulgaris. Bream. Ichthylis rubricimda. — Bream Fishing on Bayou La Branch. The Pike Perch or Ohio Salmon. Lucioperca Americana. The Buffalo Perch. Ahlodon grunniens. De Kay, wliose work on ichthyology was published in 1846, says, there were more than sixty genera and six hundred species of Percidae known at that time. How many new (77) 73 A-MERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK species Have been added to the number since, it would be difficult to say. It is somewhat remarkable, that in British works on angling, we find onh^ one species of this family described ; it is a barred Yellow Perch, resembling our Perca flavescens. Cuvier describes comparatively few as being found in Europe; while here the Percid^ include as many fresh-water species of game-fish, as all the other families combined. And our anglers of the Atlantic States are not generally av/are of the great variety found in the Southern and Western States, and the sport they afford to the fishers there. The distinguishing marks of the Percidse are, edges of gill- cover or fore gill-cover, and sometimes both, denticulated or pectinated like the teeth of a comb, or armed with spines. Both jaws, the vomer and palatine, armed with teeth. First rays of the dorsal, or entire first dorsal (if there be two), armed with sharp points ; the first ray of the anal-fin being always spinous ; and the ventrals with one or more spines. The free edges of the scales are pectinated, and the ventral - fins under the pectorals. From this latter peculiarity, the ventral-fins being in close proximity to the throat, earlier ichthyologists termed them Thoracic fishes. The sharp spines of the fins have caused the Percidas to be placed amongst the Acanthopterygii. According to Professor Agassiz's classi- fication in reference to paleontology, they belong to the Ctenoids — the third order of fishes in creation. The Yellow-barred Perch, although the type of the family, is its least worthy representative. The splendid Eockfish, and the Southern Bass belong to other genera. The latter, which is found in all the Southern and Western States, furnishes great sport to the angler. It is taken with minnow, shrimp, spoon-bait, bob, and artificial flies. If by any dis- THE PERCH FAMILY. 79 pensation of Providence tlie Percoids should become extinct, there would hardly be sport left to the anglers, who fish the numerous creeks, rivers, and lakes where they now abound. I have alluded on another page, to the replenishing of the lakelets, found so abundantly scattered along the margin of the Mississippi, through its alluvial bottom lands, by the occasional overflow of that river. This phenomenon is strongly presented to the notice of observing anglers in the neighborhood of St. Louis, and one is apt to wonder where the great numbers and varieties of the Perch family come from, to stock these sluggish waters. In thinking over the matter I have fallen back on my favorite theory, the instinctive migration of surplus production, as applicable to fresh-Avater fishes, as well as to salt water or pelagian genera. If the reader will take the trouble to look at a good map., he will see that the states north and west of the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio, are threaded for thousands of miles by rivers of gentle flow, and dotted with innumerable lakelets, which, to a great extent, are the feeders and sources of the Mississippi. These are the breeding places of Bass, Crappie, and other Percoids ; most of them spawn early in the spring, soon after the ice has left the lakelets ; and as most fresh- water*species instinctively run down stream after spawning, it is easily conjectured how large schools of these fish are hurried along by freshets, and deposited in the ponds that are fed by the overflow of the great river. After a rise in the Mississippi, the lakes and ponds that skirt its course, above the mouth of the Ohio, and down through the regions of cotton and sugar, are filled with fish of this family. In the ponds which have been replenished in this way in the neighborhood of St. Louis, their numbers decrease very little the first summer ; the second season they spawn and 30 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. breed, as in their native waters, but if tlie ponds are not refreshed by an overflow of the river every two or three years, the waters lose the chemical condition necessary to the reproduction of fish, from a continued infusion of de- cayed vegetable matter, and the lakes become barren, until another overflow of the mighty river comes rushing through, clearing them of foal, and filling them with fresh water ; and restocking them at the same time with fish, and most nume- rously with Percoids. Below its junction with the Ohio, the Mississippi has made in the course of time, many a '^ cut off^ forcing its way in times of flood, across the neck of a peninsula or a bend, in seeking a more direct course, and leaving considerable bodies of water, of a horse-shoe shape, as the old channel closes. These are fed by the annual or occasional overflow of the river, and their waters refreshed and restocked with fish, as just described. Bruin Lake, opposite Grand Gulf, Mississippi, is a water of this kind, and is said to contain Bass (or as they are there called Trout) of immense size. I have been told by an angler, that he has taken there, in a day's fishing, thirty of these fish, whose aggregate length was sixty feet. THE PERCH FAMILY. gl THE ROCKFISH, OE STRIPED BASS. Labrax Lineatus : Cuvier. The following description is taken from a fish of stout proportions, weighing four pounds; its length nineteen inches, exclusive of its caudal, breadth five inches. Form elliptical, compressed ; length of head compared ^dth body, as 5J to 19 ; tail slightly forked ; head opercle and preopercle scaly ; two flat spines on the posterior margin of the opercle, with a membrane between and extending beyond them — the lower spine the longer. The eye is about one- third of the distance between the tip of the snout and posterior angle of opercle ; irides light yellow. Teeth on the maxillaries and palatines, also on the sides of the tongue, which is soft, and on the arches of the gills ; the lower jaw is the longer. Color ; bluish green on the back, shading gradually lighter to the lateral line, which commences above the superior spine of the opercle, curves slightly upwards for a short distance, and is thence straight to the centre of the caudal ; belly white. There are eight dusky stripes, the four above the lateral line extending to the tail. The lower margin of the preopercle and the chin are roseate white ; caudal and dorsals dusky lead color ; pectorals roseate at the roots and greenish yellow on the rays ; ventrals roseate white in front, shading to a light lead color posteriorly. Scales on the roots of the caudal fin. 6 82 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. The first dorsal lias nine stout spines ; tlie second one spine and twelve soft rays ; pectorals seventeen rays ; caudal six- teen ; ventrals one spine and five rays ; anal three spines and eleven rays. Eockfish are not plentiful in the Gulf of Mexico, but are abundant along the whole coast, from Georgia to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and are found in larger numbers from the Chesapeake Bay to Nantucket, than in any other part of their geographical range. They have been known to reach the weight of ninety pounds, and have been taken with rod and line as high as forty or fifty, — though one of six or eight pounds affords the angler sport enough. As far as game qualities are concerned, it is the finest fish the American angler meets with, south of the regions of the Salmon. In the Chesapeake and Delaware bays, they leave the salt water as soon as the ice disappears from the rivers, and have been taken in the Schuylkill, at Fairmount dam, as early as the 20th of March, by trolling with a minnow, or roach, or a small pickled eel, kept from the previous season. The first Rock-fishing of the season, on the Potomac, is at the Falls above Georgetown, where great numbers, and large ones, are sometimes killed ; and there is no doubt that they can be taken in this latitude, as early as April or May, on any river communicating with salt water, where the tide is obstructed by a dam or impassable fall. At Newport and Narragansett Bay, they are caught from June to November, by baiting with a small species of herring called Manhaden. Along the sedgy creeks and inlets, from Cape Henlopen to Sandy Hook, they are taken with soft crabs and shrimps, during the months of August and September. Large Rock- fish are frequently caught in nets, when they are following a school of herrings on the fishing grounds, where they cause THE PERCH FAMILY. gg much annoy aDce to the fishermen by tearing their nets, and allowing the shad and herring to escape. An erroneous opinion prevails, that Kockfish ascend fresh rivers above the head of tide to spawn ; but food is their only object. They generally spawn in tidal creeks and rivers, where smaller streams of fresh water enter. When they are taken in the Delaware and Hudson above tide, they are generally of large size, and are caught mostly on set lines and in fish-traps. EocK-FiSHiNG. — The first dash of a Rockfish is terrific to a novice. Thirty yards are frequently spun off the reel before a large fish can be checked. At the Falls of the Potomac, or in the rapids of the Susquehanna, his play is not less vigor- ous than a Salmon's; his runs are much longer, and he frequently escapes by chafing or cutting the line or leader against the sharp edges of rocks, being assisted in his desperate struggles by the strong current. Still, though sturdy, he is a fair fighter, and where there are no such obstructions, a gentle hand, a taut line, and a steady pull secures him. You must not be too anxious when playing him, to get a first sight of your prize, or be too familiar by bringing him close to the boat or shore, until he is well tired out. When he gives in at last, and lies exhausted on his broad side, you may, in absence of a gaff or landing-net, put your thumb in his open mouth, and your fingers under his chin, and lift him in — being careful at the same time of the sharp flat spine on his gill-cover. Rods of various lengths are used in angling for Rockfish. In bottom-fishing in a tideway, one of twelve feet with a stiff tip is necessary. When using a float, one of greater length and more pliability affords better sport; but in casting a minnow over a bold, rocky stream, which is the 84 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. ne plus ultra of Bass fishing, a stout salmon-rod, or a bamboo, or a native reed pole of eighteen feet, fitted with reel and rings, IS more appropriate. In all cases a good multiplying reel should be used, with a hundred yards of well-laid hemp line, which should pass through metallic guides, and a metallic tip at the top of the rod. The crack Bass fishers of New York are so fastidious, as even to have the tip (the end-piece through which the line passes) jewelled, in order to lessen the friction as the line runs out, when casting. Many anglers do not feel secure unless the leader be of double gut, which is entirely unnecessary, unless there are sharp rocks on the bottom ; for a single strand of the best and stoutest gut, when wet, will bear nearly as much strain, as an ordinary hemp line. Stout-wired Kirby hooks, long or short shanks, from No. 1 to 00, are preferable; they are much more certain of hooking than the Limerick. The weight of the sinker should be proportioned to the depth of the water or force of the tide. In bottom-fishing, an oblong sliding sinker may be advantageously used. In trolling or casting over rapids, a bullet, from the size of a buckshot to a half ounce, is best ; then, also, one or more swivels should be looped on, to insure the spinning of the ninnow. The usual mode of using the minnow, when trolling, is to " hridle^^ it, which is done in several ways. The easiest is, to put the hook in at the mouth, out through the gill, and then, pcfter taking a half hitch around the head, to pass it through the side of the back ; so that the bend of the hook may set upwards, with the point towards the head of the bait. Another and a better plan, is to have a small hook (size 2) on the snood, about three inches above the larger ; the smaller hook is passed through the under, and out through the upper THEPERCHFAMILY. 85 lip of the minnow ; and the larger hook, as just described, through the back. To increase the spinning or twirling of the bait in its passage through the water, it is better to put on the minnow slightly bent, which is done by passing the larger hook through the back nearer to the tail than you would when you intend the minnow to swim straight, and then doubling it a little. In baiting with shrimps, which are good in some waters, and at certain seasons, a float should be used, if the tide is not too strong ; this bait should not touch the bottom, as Eockfish are not in the habit of looking for them there ; it should also be kept in motion by occasional short jerks or twitches of the rod. Soft crabs are always found on the bottom by the fish, when feeding on them, and, of course, in using crab-bait, you should fish near the bottom, whether it be with or without a float. I have sometimes found Eock- fish so well on the feed, as to take a slice or oblong piece of fish-bait, readily striking at it, if it is white and well put on ; for, like other fish, they have not the delicate sense of taste, that anglers give them credit for. The pearl minnow, or a tuft of raw cotton, or a white rag tied on a hook, will frequently take small Eockfish, where a strong tide sweeps under a bridge, or around the corner of a pier. The fish wait in the eddies on the lee side of the tim-. bers of the bridge, or angles of the pier, for minnows or shrimp ; and seize any small object having the appearance of life. There is no doubt that at such times, a light colored fly, particularly the white moth, would be taken greedily, though a white rag answers the purpose as well. Half flood is the best time of tide for such fishing. The pearl minnow should be drawn against the current, a few inches below the surface, and near the edge of the eddy ; the angler b^ing careful to keep out of sight and not to cast his shadow over the swim. ^.\ A M E R I C A N AN G L E R'S P. 0 0 K At the Rancocas bridge, a few miles above Philadelphia, some years ago, a party of three anglers, on a day in the latter part of June, took fifteen dozen Rockfish, from ten to fourteen inches long, with the pearl minnow. In strong tideways, or deep water, the last half of the ebb, and the first half hour of the flood tide is generally consi- dered the best time for taking this fish. In the shallow bays and sounds extending along our coast, there are thoroughfares between the low grassy islands, which are almost dry at low water. Here crabs are found in great numbers, and the Rock- fish come in with the flood tide in search of them. In such places, the last half of the flood and high water are the proper times. The most famous place along the coast for catching these fish, is Narragansett Bay. I have heard stories of the Bass fishing there, that it is not prudent to repeat. The American Angler's Guide, by J. J. Brown, Esq., of New York, has an excellent article on Striped Bass fishing in the waters around New York. Frank Forester, in speaking of this fish, says, "The fly will take them brilliantly, and at the end of three hundred yards of line, a twelve-pound Bass will be found quite suffi- cient, to keep even the most skilful angler's hands, as full as he can possibly desire." The author in question must have delighted in " magnificent distances" ; for a line of three hun- dred yards, with a Bass at the end of it, would certainly be " playing at long taw," and is suggestive of " shooting with a long bow." Most anglers will kill a Bass of any size, and not give him fifty yards of line. Frank Forester's idea of trolling for Rockfish, as some anglers fish for Pike, with a leaded gorge hook, from the shore, even if successful, would be dull sport compared with the usual mode of taking them. It would mdl'eover be degrading to the bold Rockfish, to place him in the same category with a sneaking Pike. THE PERCH FAMILY. 87 Flies are not tlie natural food of this fish, though thev may be of the Southern Bass or the Black Bass of the great lakes ; still it is not an uncommon thing to take Rockfish with a large gaudy artificial fly, at the Falls of the Potomac ; thougli a hook wrapped with a piece of yellow, or sometimes with red flannel, will answer the purpose. This fish follows and seizes the fly under rather than on the surface, and does not start from the bottom with a spring, as the Trout or Salmon. Rock fish below twelve inches, are not good, the flesh ap- pearing to be wilted and immature, bearing the same relation to that of a four-pounder, as veal does to beef. When of two or three pounds, they should be split and broiled, they are then very good ; above this size, they are generally boiled. They are better though, cut into steaks,-— that is, in transverse slices — and broiled, and served with melted butter and parsley. The flesh of overgrown Rockfish is said to be coarse, and' is not esteemed. Most tidewater anglers have pleasant reminiscences of this fish, but no recollection of Bass fishing comes back to me with greater pleasure, than my first essay amongst the " big ones." It was many years ago, in the month of June, when on a visit to a relative — an ardent though not a scien- tific angler — who lived on the banks of the broad Rappahan- nock, near its mouth. On the morning after my arrival, my host improvised a bout with the Rockfish ; and I saw from my chamber window, a negro boy, with no other implement than a four-pronged stick, capture as many soft crabs as sufficed for bait and breakfast. Our canoes were staked out some distance from the margin of the sandy beach, which made it necessary to be carried to them. This task was speedily accomplished by a sturdy little negro; who with trousers rolled up on his sable drumsticks, dumped the whole cargo — bait, rods and four anglers — into two "dug 88 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. outs." We were soon staked down on the flats, a half mile from the shore, where the water was six feet deep. Onr ob- ject was, to place the boats in such a position, as to fish into the "galls," or bare , places, where there was no grass ; these were of various sizes, from three rods square to half an acre. The rods, reels and' scientific tackle of the city anglers, ex- cited the wonder, and no doubt the' silent contempt of the native fishermen ; who were rigged, one with a hand-line, and the other with a stout cedar pole, with a line attached to it, that might have held a Shark. My host, a staunch Democrat and anti-bank man, dubbed my rod, which was not over stout and fifteen feet long, " The Nick Biddle pole," and assured me it was all well enough for White Perch, but would not hold ft Eockfish, such as he could bring with a strong pull, and a " whop," right into the canoe. It was my good fortune to hook the first fish, a fine fellow of six pounds. There was much laughter, of course ; Uncle Eolly declared I would never get him in. " See how your pole bends ! Why he's way off in the middle of the gall already I Why don't you pull him in ?" The old man was here inter- rupted by the disappearance of his pine-bark float, and in less time than it takes to tell it, he had his fish flapping in the bottom of the canoe. '' There !" said he, " I can catch ten to your one. I tell you, your Nick Biddle pole will never do here !" By this time I had my fish pretty well in hand, and after a dash or two more, Jordan, the negro boy, put a wide crab-net under him, and lifted him in. The next fish Uncle Roily hooked broke his hold ; so did a good many more, and large ones too ; while every fish struck by the dandy pole, was killed artistically, though the old man thought with much unnecessary ceremony. At the ebb of the tide science had told. We had a good time of it, and the owner of the " Biddle pole" felt great confidence in his fine tackle, and / THE PERCH FAMILY. 89 mucli quiet satisfaction in his first success witli it; while Uncle EoUy laughed at his tactics. "We went home and ate the stewed head and shoulders of a large Eockfish and soft crabs for dinner. Next day we tried our luck again with equal success ; and before leaving for home one of the town anglers killed a Eockfish of twenty-five pounds, which Uncle Eolly would certainly have lost. Besides the fishing in this part of the Old Dominion, I have vivid recollections of the hat, hair, and hospitality of Uncle Kolly/' 90 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK y V WHITE PEECH. GEAY PEECR. Lahrax pallidus : De Kay. Color — back, bluish gray ; sides, silvery gray ; belly, white ; body compressed, elliptical ; breadth, one-third of its length : head not quite a third ; eye one-third distant from snout ; opercle and preopercle scaly, a single flat spine on the opercle, with a membrane extending beyond; preopercle serrated on lower margin. Branchial, and fin rays. B 6 ; D 9, 1, 12; C 16; P 14; V 15; A 3, 10. Compared with Lahrax rufus of De Kay, this fish is of a more lustrous silvery hue ; its fins longer and more transparent ; the rays more delicate ; spines longer and sharper, some of the dorsal spines with a sabre-like curve. The facial line is more depressed, eye full, mouth larger, and bearing all the marks of a game predatory fish. It is seldom found north of the Delaware. De Kay's specific appellation "Pallidus'^ denotes the color, and marks the difference between this and his Lahrax rvfus, or Euddy Bass. I believe as he did, that the two are distinct THE PERCH FAMILY. 91 species. Holbrook, quoting Gmelin, calls it Lahrax Ameri- canus, and falls into the same error as Cuvier and Storer, making no specific difference between the two. Lahrax rufus is a nortlieru fisli, seldom if ever found south of N"ew York. Its habits differ from those of Pallidus, being found mostly on flat clayey and muddy bottoms, and in shal- lows, and in some of the fresh- water ponds of the New Eng- land states and New York. It has not the game qualities of Pallidus. The White Perch is a congener of the magnificent Kockfish, and is frequently found feeding in the same place and in his company. Its average length is eight or nine inches ; it is" not often more than twelve, though in rare instances it is found fourteen inches long. This beautiful, free-biting little fish, which affords so much sport, and, which is found in all the fresh and brackish tide-waters, from Cape Hatteras to Sandy Hook, does not receive that favorable notice from writers on ichthyology and angling which it merits. De Kay, in speaking of it, after describing the Ruddy Bass, says: "Like the preceding species, it inhabits salt and brackish waters ; but as far as my observa- tions have extended, it is invariably a small fish, and rarely brought to market for food. The Little AYhite Bass, or White Perch, may be readily distinguished from the other, by its light color, small size, and very compressed body." I am disposed to object to its being called a salt-water fish. Its most natural habitat is fresh tidal-rivers. It is frequently found far above the terminus of the tide, and they are even more abundant in fresh than in brackish waters, at the season of the year when they are sought for by anglers. This fish when found in salt-water creeks, is darker in color, but there is no specific difference. The remark above quoted, that it is "rarely brought to 92 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. market for food," is an error so glaring, as to cause one to suppose, that ttie explorations of the naturalist in question, could not have extended south of New York. The same author also says or implies, that its average size does not exceed six or seven inches; by which he also evinced his slight knowledge of this fish. Frank Forester, in his book on angling, after a slight notice, dismisses it, as "not sufficiently important to merit more particular notice." The latter gentleman missed much, by not becoming acquainted with our little friend Pallidus. In season, the White Perch is the pan fish (and there is none better) of the Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Norfolk, and Eichmond markets. And as for sport ; should it be said that a man or boy has no sport, or is not an angler, because he does not use reel or gut? Did not Billy Jones, the chair-maker, down town, go a Perch-fishing four or five times every summer ; shut- ting up his shop for the day, and taking his wife, children, and apprentices in his sailboat down the river — or in a furniture car down the "Neck;" and with his brandling- worms in an old coffee-pot, and his minnow-net and frying-pan, and store of bread and butter and bottled ale, make a day of it ? Did not "our Johnny" shoulder his reed-pole every Saturday morning, when there was a run of Perch at Fairmount dam ; and return at night with a string of them as long as his leg, and his trousers smeared with shad-roe ? Is not Uncle Jim — a respectable colored gentleman — who lives in a quiet nook by the Curratoma, down in Old Virginia, always sure of a mess of them ? And Old Davy, whose shanty is on the high bluff, by the mouth of the Sassafras, does he not " count on 'em ?" And still the learned De Kay, and the eloquent Frank Forester speak disparagingly or hardly notice this game little fish, so intimately associated with the early, and happy THE PERCH FAMILY. 93 recollections of every angler, of the waters that find their way into the Chesapeake and Delaware. White Perch hjbernate in the deep salt water of our bays, and ascend the fresh tide-rivers soon after the ice and snow- water have run off*. They feed greedily on the spawn of other fish, particularly that of the shad ; on insects, grubs, minnows, and on the migratory schools of young eels, which are found in the months of April and May, in great numbers, at any rapid or dam obstructing the upward flow of the tide. Perch usually spawn in May, and then resort to deeper waters to recuperate, and all summer long, are found by the angler, ever swimming around the deep sunken pier, or the timbers of the rickety old bridge, snapping at shrimp, or chasing the minnows on the flood-tide high up amongst the water-lilies ; and never refusing a bait, if of the right sort, and properly presented. The first Perch-fishing of the season, is always at the terminus of a tideway, as just mentioned. Through the summer, they are taken on the ebb-tide in deep water, on sandy or rocky bottoms or muscle-beds, or around stone piles or sunken hulks; and on the flood-tide, along the margins of rivers, or creeks, where the long grasses or water- lilies afford a home for the minnows. In brackish water, shrimps are decidedly the best bait ; in deep holes, in fresh tide rivers, brandling- worms ; on the flood- tide, along the margin of the grass or water-lilies, minnows are good, or a wedge-shaped fish-bait is greedily taken, if the Perch are well on the feed. This last should be cut with the skin adhering, which makes the bait so tough, that six or eight fish may be taken before renewing it. For early fishing, young eels, spawned the preceding autumn, which are beautifully transparent and not larger than a darning-needle, are the most attractive. These, as I have just said, are to be had where the tide is impeded by dam or rapid. Here 94 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK, the Perch and Kockfish devour immense numbers of them, and it is only at such places that these fish look for them. The vitality of these little animals is wonderful ; and if the hook is passed through them below the vitals, which are easily seen, they remain alive for some time. Two or three eels are put on each hook. This bait is found in small pools left by the ebb of the tide, and can be easily secured with a small net of sea-grass skirting. The first catch of Perch, with Philadelphia anglers, is, or was, below the dam at Fairmount waterworks ; beginning in April with young eels, and occasionally small minnows for bait. Early in the season, the most likely places are where the rapid subsides into deep, still water ; in May they are found more in the rapids and nearer the fall of the dam. The tackle which affords the best sport is a common native reed pole, of twelve or thirteen feet, not thicker at the butt than the thumb, and tapering to a fine point, whicli can be rendered still finer and stronger by splicing on a tip of lance or iron-wood. The same rod may also be used with a reel, by putting on rings, and a metallic tip at the end for the line to pass through. A fine line of flax or silk should be used, with a gut leader of three or four feet, with two hooks, one at the end, and one eighteen inches or two feet above. The best hooks when baiting with little eels, are those termed " weak trout" hooks. They are long in the shank, which facilitates baiting and taking off the fish ; the wire is also delicate, mutilating the bait less than a coarser hook, and being more elastic, or at least more flexible, lets go its hold more easily when caught on the bottom. If in pulling it away, the hook should straighten to any extent, it may be easily restored to its shape, by pressing the bend together between the fore teeth. With delicate handling, these hooks are strong enough to : ecu re a three-pound Rockfish, if he should take your bait. THE PEECH FAMILY. 95 The sinker, conical or round, should be in size from a buck- shot to a half ounce bullet. Its weight must depend on the depth and force of the current ; it should be attached by a weak piece of gut or thread at the junction of the leader with the line ; so that in case of its being caught between the rocks, you may lose only the bullet, and not your leader and hooks. When fishing in slack water, especially by the edge of the water-lilies or grass, it is advisable to use a float ; the Perch, like other predatory fish, seldom taking a bait on the bottom^ unless it is in motion. The distance between the hooks and the float should not be more than two-thirds or three-fourths the depth of the water. Where the tide sweeps around the end of a pier, or the piles of a bridge, Perch frequently are found in the eddies on the edge of the current, waiting for minnows or shrimp ; then a short line (without a reel) is preferable. In such places they can at times be taken with a pearl minnow. In a tideway or lively water, always fish down stream, to prevent the current bringing your line home to you, and so as to allow it to lift the sinker and leader from the bottom, and veer it about in such way, that the bait will appear attractive. In fishing from a boat, anchor just far enough above the desired place to fish into it, occasionally trying either side. If you are in the right place, and the fish are on the feed, there is no ne- cessity for striking, if the line is kept taut, for they generally hook themselves at the first pass they make at the bait. If the angler is not greedy for a large catch, and the fish are found near the surface, and on the shallow rapids, as the}^ sometimes are on a warm day in May, a stout fly-rod and light tackle might be used, baiting with a single eel, and without using a sinker, casting and drawing as with a heavy fly. Of course it takes longer to secure a fish by such means, but the sport is heightened. 96 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. Perch-fisliing in the month of May, in brisk water, where the run of fish is from nine to twelve inches, is not a whit inferior to bait-fishing for Trout. I prefer the former, because Perch, by such appliances as I have described, are taken in a sportsmanlike manner, and Trout (which should be taken only with a fly) are not. Sometimes in deep holes at the head of tide-water, when fishing with a minnow, the broad- sided Shad will take the bait ; or a three-pound Rockfish will come into your swim ; then if you have no reel, or your hand be not gentle, and if you do not grasp your rod by its extreme butt, and give him the whole spring of your fragile reed, you are a ruined angler ; and you may not forgive yourself for a week, for lack of skill or precaution. Many anglers object to a reed rod, on account, as they say, of a feeling of insecurity in its use. But for Perch-fishing, its lightness, and graceful bend, when a fish is on, commend it ; and the very objection that is urged increases the sport to one who is fond of fishing fine. The Perch is decidedly a pan-fish ; and when rolled in grated cracker, or coarse corn meal, and moderately browned, is better fried than broiled. To a man of wholesome, un- pampered appetite, it is hard to serve up a better dinner than fried Perch, with good bread and butter, and a little claret ; or what is still better, though more homely, a bottle of Philadelphia ale. Large White Perch are sometimes boiled, and served up with Qgg sauce. A piquant dish may be made as follows : — Cut off the heads and tails, and fry the fish enough to lay them open, and take out the backbone and ribs, dividing each fish into two slices ; then put them in the pan again, and brown them in coarse , corn meal ; pouring over them, when nearly done, a little Worcestershire sauce, or walnut catsup, and serve them up with drawn butter and an additional quantity of either sauce or catsup. THE PERCH FAMILY. 97 THE WHITE BASS OF THE LAKES. Lahrax aVcidus : De Kay. De Kaj says : " This fish is bluish white above the lateral line, a few narrow dusky parallel streaks above and beneath this line ; sides and belly white ; pupils black ; irides white intermixed with a little brown ; dorsal, caudal, and anal fins brownish, tinged with blue ; pectoral fins whitish, tinged with olive green; ventrals light transparent blue, tipped with white. Length O'lO, depth 3-0. Fins, dorsal 9, 1, 13 ; pec- torals 17 ; ventrals 1, 5 ; anal 3, 12 ; caudal 17. This is a very common fish in Lake Erie, and^is known at Buffalo under the name of White Bass." In the year 1844, I made an appointment with a fine old gentleman of the medical profession, known and loved by all Philadelphians, who had taken up an idea that I was something of an angler, to meet him at Mackinaw, on my return from a western tour. . We were to have gone to Sault St. Marie, where he had renewed his early love for angling, by taking some of the large Trout in the rapids, the previous summer, with an outfit which I had furnished him. Much to my regret I received a letter from him, when I reached Mackinaw, telling me that his presence at home was indispensable, and requesting me to call at Detroit and spend a few days with his son, then a lieutenant in the U. S. Engineer Department, who had charge of the construction of a fort there. I stopped, and we spent two long days angling 7 98 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. in Detroit River. Our success was varied. On the afternoon of the first daj, near sundown, we took twenty-iive White Bass, with the artificial fly, in a creek on the Canada side opposite the town. They were all of a size — eight of them weighing just seven pounds. The fl}^ was a rough affair of my own make, the wings being of the end of a peacock's tail feather. We afterwards learned that we had been fishing in preserved waters ; the Canadian fishermen, who supplied the Detroit market, had caught the fish with a net in the river, and had turned them loose in the back-water of the creek and placed some brush across, so as to have them ready when there was a demand for them. I have passed Detroit since, and tried to identify the place ; I think the railroad depot at Sandwich, on the Canadian side, is near it ; the creek has been drained off", or has become a mere ditch or uninhabited water, and the lieutenant, in the course of promotion, has become a great general. I wonder if, amidst the arduous duties of the present, he ever thinks of that quiet afternoon? THE PERCH FAMILY, 99 I FRESH- WATEE BASS OF THE SOUTH AND WEST. Grystes salmoides : Cuvier. This fisli is known under various names, through the wide extent of its habitat. In the neighborhood of Richmond, it is called the James River Chub, sometimes Bass. In its more southerly range, it goes bj the names of Trout, Black Trout, and Brown Trout, and is seldom called Bass, except in the Northwestern States. Although it is called " Trout," at the South, there is no family or generic aifinity between it and our northern Trout. The following is an abridgment of Holbrook's description, connected with a few observations of the writer. Head and body, dusky olive above,, sometimes with a yellowish tint, lighter on the sides. Belly white ; opercles light green or greenish yellow ; first dorsal fin, nine spines and eighteen soft rays ; pectorals, fifteen ; ventrals, one spine and five rays : anal, three spines and twelve rays ; caudal, nineteen rays. Body elongated oval, straight on the belly. Eye large. Mouth verv large, lower jaw longer. The vomer has brash- IQQ AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. like teeth in front. Teeth on the palatines and pharyngeal bones. Tongue smooth, without teeth in front. They are found in the James Eiver, in the lagoons of the Dismal Swamp, in the Koanoke, and in every fresh-water stream of any size in the Southern Atlantic States ; in the streams and lakes of Florida, and in all the rivers which flow from the north into the Gulf of Mexico along its whole ex- tent. All the creeks and bayous are stocked with them ; so are the lakes formed in the old bed of the Mississippi, wher- ever the river has made a cut-oflj though they are seldom or ever taken in the river itself — the fish of most families only using it as a high road or thoroughfare from one lake to another. They are also found in the Cheat, Holston, Green, Kentucky, Alabama, Cumberland, Tennessee, and Ohio, and in their tributaries, to their very sources in the highlands and , mountains. They are not so plentiful in the streams or their tributaries that fall into the Mississippi on the western side ; but the long still lakes of the alluvial bottom lands on the east side, from the Ohio to Eock Eiver, are stocked with this and other percoids by the occasional overflow of the Mis- sissippi. The rivers of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and the streams and clear lakes of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, also sup- ply them, with a little variety in form and color. This fish is taken generally by still fishing, with a live minnow, and it is only of late years in the Southern States, m that anglers have used the spoon, which is found to be very ■%. destructive. An accomplished angler of the " Plouseless," gave me a glowing description of a party who started from Colum- bia, South Carolina, to fish the Edisto Eiver, in the month of May 1860 ; they used the spoon bait, trolling near the bank under the overhanging branches, each angler occupying a boat paddled by his servant. They collected at night on THE PERCH FAMILY. IQl board of the flat-boat wliicli accompanied them down the river, with stores, cooking utensils, and bedding. They fished fifty or sixty miles of the river, and had a glorious time of it, taking Bass weighing as high as eight pounds. In the states bordering on the Gulf of Mexico, this fish is taken with the minnow, shrimp, and bob ; the latter is an arti- ficial bait, made of gaudy feathers and tinsel (on two or three hooks) ; it is as large as a humming bird. It is said that the tip end of a buck's tail answers the same purpose in Florida. The bob is used from a boat, with a long rod and a short line ; the boat is paddled silently along, at a convenient distance from the shore, while the angler is dapping his bob along in likely places near the bank ; or, if he " paddles his own canoe," the end of a long reed with a short line projects beyond the bow of the boat, the bob just touching the water. When the fish seizes it, which is always with a bold rush and a spring, a short and decisive tussle ensues, in which the fish is taken by the angler or the rod is carried away by the fish. I have taken this Bass in the vicinity of St. Louis, on a moonshiny night, by skittering a light spoon over the surface of the water, while standing on the shore. In the South, a minnow or shrimp is considered the best bait, and a float of suitable size is used on such occasions. The anglers of JSTew Orleans who have summer residences on the Gulf coast between the latter city and Mobile, formerly enjoyed Bass-fishing to its full extent ; many of them were ardent and skilful anoders. o I have often thought that this fish would take a large arti- ficial fly well, and give great sport, on a stout trout rod, and corresponding tackle. My belief has lately been verified by an account given me of an English or Scotch angler, who spent last summer at the town of Rock Island, Illinois. He ]^Q2 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. waded Rock River and fished for Bass as for Trout or Salmon, and killed a great many, some of wHcli were of very large size. I hope he did not take the chills and fever home with him, to disturb his pleasant reminiscences of his sport. The rod used is generally a springy weapon of fourteen feet for bait-fishing, and a lighter one with the bob. A good reel, and stout line and gut are required ; the hook from No. 1 to 00 ; the latter size is preferable, as the Bass has a large mouth. This fish is unsurpassed in flavor by any of the Perch family. The smaller are broiled or fried, the larger should be boiled and served up with egg sauce. 9 K-* THE PERCH FAMILY. I07 the Thousand Isles, is by the New York Central Kailroad to Rome, thence to Cape Vincent, and early next morning by steamboat to Alexandria Bay ; where Eowe Brothers have quarters that would have delighted Father Izaak himself, and where boats and oarsmen can always be procured. Anglers from all the towns of New York on the Central Railroad come in large numbers to this place, and have immense sport amongst the Bass, Pickerel, and Mascalonge. Like the other fish of this genus, the Bass is esteemed for the excellence of its flesh, though I think it is somewhat overrated. This fish differs from the Oswego Bass, to which it bears so close a resemblance, in having a smaller head, and its belly less protuberant, though the position of the fins, their shape, and number of spines and rays, are almost identical. It spawns in the spring on the breaking up of the ice, when many of the largest fish are speared on their spawning-beds. An of&cer of the United States Engineer Department, Avho had charge of the construction of a fort or lighthouse on Lake St. Clair, some twenty years ago, informed me that on several occasions he took scores of Black Bass by trolling with a hand-line from a boat ; the average size was four pounds ; he showed me the artificial bait he used, which was a large Lim- erick hook about an inch and a quarter across the bend, with a white feather whipped to the back of it. 108 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK THE STRIPED BASS OF THE OHIO. Perca chrysops : Rafinesqtje. I adopt the scientific name given by the naturalist above quoted, with a condensation of his description. Body oblong, silvery, with -G.yq parallel longitudinal stripes on each side, two of which reach the tail. Lateral line diag- onal, but straight. Head brown above. Mouth large. First dorsal fin eight spines ; second, one spine and fourteen rays ; pectorals, sixteen rays ; ventrals, one spine and five soft rays ; anal, one spine and fourteen rays ; branchiostegous rays, six. The tail is forked, roseate, tipped with brown. Though this fish is longer in its proportions, it may be the same species as the Striped Bass found at the mouths of the fresh- water bayous and rivers that fall into Lakes Ponchar- train and Borgne, and along the Grulf coast ; the latter being- modified by a change of its habitat, becoming deeper and more compressed. This species was called " Rockfish" by the early settlers of Kentucky, who supposed it to be identical with the Rockfish of the Atlantic States. It differs, however, in the number of stripes on its sides ; the Rockfish has eight and this only five ; the other has two spines on the opercle, and this only one ; there is also a difference in the number of spines and rays of the fins. This fish has been taken in the Mississippi above its junc- tion with the Missouri, weighing as much as six pounds though that size is extremely rare. I have never taken it above a pound. The largest are taken with a live minnow, and no doubt afford excellent sport. THE PERCH FAMILY. 109 THE SHORT STRIPED BASS. I regret that I have no engraving or ichthyological account of this pretty fish, but if the reader will imagine our White Perch with stripes on its sides resembling those of the Rock- fish, though not so many of them, he will have this Bass in his mind's eye. There is also a variety called the " Broken Striped Bass," which I have no doubt is of the same species ; for we frequently find individual cases in which the stripes on the Rockfish are not continuous, but irregular and broken. The Short Striped Bass of both of these varieties are found frequently in great abundance in Lakes Ponchartrain and Borgne, and along the Gulf coast, where fresh-water bayous and rivers come in. They are most abundant in Lake Pon- chartrain when the Mississippi is high, and discharges some of its water by crevasses or smaller channels into that lake. I have taken fifteen pounds of them before breakfast, off the pier of the New Orleans and Ponchartrain Railroad. With a neat rod, a float, and small hooks, they afford fine sport. The best baits are shrimp, the head and legs taken off, and the hooks baited with only the white meat of the body. They are not inferior to the White Pervch of this latitude, and resemble them much in flavor and firmness of flesh. The Creoles of Louisiana sometimes call these fish "Pattisa ;" this name, however, is applied by them indiscriminately to any small pan-fish. They are taken from seven to twelve inches in length, and sometimes longer ; though nine inches is a good average size. 110 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. OSWEGO BASS. This fish resembles the Black Bass so closely, that few anglers have any appreciation of the difference. It is taken on the same feeding-ground, and in the same way'; it leaps from the water when struck, though perhaps not as often as the latter, and is almost as game ; its flesh is said to be inferior to that of the Black Bass. The only difference perceptible to the angler, is the greater bulk of this fish in proportion to its length, a greater pro- tuberance of belly, and larger head. I counted nine spines and fifteen rays on the dorsal fin, the pectorals had sixteen, anal thirteen, preceded by two short obtuse spines detached from each other. The specimen I examined weighed three pounds, was sixteen inches long thirteen in girth, and five and a half broad. There is cer- tainly a specific difference between the two, though natu- ralists, as far as I have been able to ascertain, have failed to notice a fact which is ap])arent to anglers. THE PERCH FAMILY. Ill X CRAPPIE, SAC-A-LAI, OR CHINKAPIN PERCH. Pomoxis hexirantJms : Cuvier. Form — body oval, much compressed ; breadth compared with length as 3 to 7. Lateral line concurrent with the back. Head small, facial line much depressed; small scales on preopercle, but larger on the opercle, which is without a spine ; nostrils small and double : a few denticulations at the lower posterior angle of opercle ; branchial rays seven ; dorsal fin seven spines and sixteen soft rays ; pectorals twelve ; ventrals one spine and five rays ; anal large, with six spines and eighteen rays ; caudal eighteen rays. There are five indistinct dark lines above the lateral line in the fish of Louisiana, but wanting in those of Illinois ; I have found dark transverse markings on the latter. The back is yellowish blue ; sides silvery ; belly white, tinged with yellow. The pectorals carnate nearest the humeral bone, with a light shade of orange at the tips ; ventrals pink, tipped with 112 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK black ; dorsal, anal, and caudal, with dark irregular transverse markings. ■ Teeth on vomer, tongue, and palatines acute, they are small, and recurved on maxillaries. The specific name, Hexicantlms, is significant ; its anal fin being armed with six spines, which number of anal spines exceeds that of any other percoid, — at least as far as the writer has observed. This graceful fish is known by the Creoles of Louisiana as the " Sac-^-Lai," where it is also sometimes called " Chinkapin Perch." In the neighborhood of St. Louis, Mo., it was called originally " Crappie," by the old French habitans, and still bears that name. It is known in some of the north-western lakes as " Grass Bass." It is found in the Atlantic States south of Cape Hatteras, in the bayous in the vicinity of New Orleans, and all the creeks, lakes, and ponds, fed by the over- flow of the Mississippi, from Louisiana to Minnesota. It abounds particularly in the lakelets of what is termed the " American Bottom," extending along the Illinois side, oppo- site St. Louis. The lakes, as they are called (though they are more properly ponds), along the alluvial banks of the Mississippi, become very low after a succession of dry seasons, and the fish cease to breed in them ; this, with excessive fishing with nets and hooks, almost depopulates those waters ; but when a good rise in the river overflows the bottom lands, the ponds are swept of the foul water and replenished with fresh ; and, at the same time, restocked with fish. Then it appears almost miraculous where the vast numbers of Crappies, Bass, Perch, and other fish come from, and there is no other way of accounting foi- this fact, than by supposing that all the lakelets and streams oj| Wisconsin and Minnesota to the north, have thrown off* their surplus production, which they appear to have garnered up. THE PERCn FAMILY. ^g As soon, then, as the water becomes clear in the lakes and ponds, there is a great turnout amongst the fishermen of St. Louis. But to have good sport with the Grapples, one should get on the right side of Squire Cogswell or of Uncle George Matlack's boys, who think it a small matter to hitch up their team, and stowing in tent, ice-box, minnow-kettle, frying-pan, and provender for men and horses, are ready at almost any time for a start to Long Lake ; or thirty miles away to Mur- dock's Lake, for Bass and Grapples. Grapples are frequently taken in company with Bass. They love to lie in the brushwood, and about the bushy tops of trees that have fallen in the water ; a sultry showery day is most favorable for them. A live minnow, hooked below the back fin, is the best bait ; a substitute for which may be found in a wedge-shaped piece of fish, with the smaller end pendent from the hook ; in fish- ing with the latter, the bait should be kept in motion. Worms are objectionable, as they attract the smaller fish, while they are not fancied by Grapples. Shrimp are generally used by the New Orleans anglers. Whatever be the depth of the water, the float (which is generally used) should not be more than three or four 'eet above the hook. As the mouth of the Grapple is larj;e, a Kirby hook, No. 1 or 0, is to be preferred. The dangerous vicinity of brushwood makes the use of the reel objecticn^ ble ; for then it is necessary to secure them as soon as pos- sible after being hooked. Holbrook states the extreme length of this fish /o be twelve inches. I have seen it, in the vicinity of St. y^is, as long as fifteen, and in one instance, seventeen inches 114 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK iM'A^^ YELLOW BARRED PERCH. Perca fiavescens : Cuvier. Back yellowish green; sides yellow, with six or seven dark vertical bands; body compressed, elongated; back slightly arched and tapering towards the tail, it is quite slim between the second dorsal and caudal fin ; the anal and pectoral fins are of a yellowish red, or bright orange ; the first dorsal has twelve or thirteen spinous rays ; the second, two spinous and fourteen soft rays ; ventrals, one spine and fiVe soft rays ; anal, two spines and eight soft rays ; caudal, sli^tly concave, with seventeen rays. There are some beau- tifu^Ntints about this fish. YeHow-barred Perch are found in most of the large north- err\ la&s, and with some other species which they closely reiflrnblo, as far south as Carolina, inhabiting tidal waters or lakv^ indiscriminately. They are easily taken with minnows and ^orms. In trolling the lakes for Black Bass, the angler is frec;iently annoyed by the great numbers of these Perch, and hc4g them in small esteem when in search of nobler prey THE PERCH FAMILY. II5 SUNFISH. Pomotis vulgaris : Cuvier. There are several species of Pomotis, and even fish of other genera known as " SunfishJ^ A diminutive species of the genns Centrachus is constantly called by that name. I have taken a synopsis of a description of the true Sunfish {Pomotis vulgaris), from Holbrook, one of the most exact ichthyologists of our day. Body ovoidal in form, convex above and below, but straight on the belly ; color of body brown, with a greenish tint above, with pale blue, waving, horizontal lines on the preo- percle and opercle. Opercular appendix dark, with a bright red blotch on its posterior margin. The dorsal fin has ten spines and eleven rays; pectorals, thirteen rays; ventrals, one spine, and five rays ; anal, three spines and ten raj^s ; caudal, seven- teen rays. Mouth small, rather protractile, and armed with small thickly-set teeth. Extreme length eight inches. •This beautiful little fish, associated in the minds of all anglers with the first rudiments of a piscatorial education, is known in the Middle and Southern States as the Sunfish or IXg AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK, " Sunny." Yankee boys call them " Punkin Seeds," or by the more euphonic though appropriate name of " Kivers ;" prob- ably from their appropriate shape for the cover of a tea-cup or pickle jar. It is a bootless task to describe the manner of taking Sunnies ; any incipient angler of twelve summers would beat Theophilus South or Sir Humphrey Davy at catching them. It would be hard to tell the amount of early Saturday morning digging for earth-worms ; or how much bark-peeling of old logs for grubs ; or how much anxious search for wasps' ^nests, they have occasioned. Or how many long sunshiny Saturdays have been spent in search of them ; or, when alternat- ing swimming with fishing, and starkly skirting the edge of the mill-pond, how often the youthful "sans culotte" has dropped his bait before their noses, beside the old stump or big rock, and " whopped them out." Many an angler will remember the untiring patience with which, in boyhood, he has displayed his worm-covered hook before a half score of these pretty fish, and seen the larger {dux gregis) separate himself from the rest and come towards the bait, sail majestically around, backing and filling, eager, though doubtful of the cheat, and glaring on it with his big permanent eye, and, at last, just as the little angler gives up the game, and is despairingly drawing it away, with a bold rush, the Sunny seizes the barbed hook, and in a trice he is bouncing on the grass, and a hand is on him that relaxes not its grasp till the cruel switch is thrust through his gill. Sunfish are extremely predatory in their habits, and the tyrannical little fellow of our aquarium, whom we have dubbed " Captain Walker," is dearer to us, because he is a representative of those we were accustomed to fish for in our schoolboy days. In preparing their bed for spawning, a pair of Sunfish will THE PERCH FAMILY. 117 clear a place a foot or two in diameter, piling up the gravel, chips, and twigs on the margin ; at such times they refuse a bait, remove anything offensive as soon as it drops in, and pugnaciously drive off all intruders. A neat line, small float and hooks, number six to ten, are appropriate tackle. I have a valued friend, who, although long since passed the meridian of life, will still roll up his trousers, and angle for this attractive little fish, with all the ardor of his youthful days. 113 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. BEEAM. In the Southern States this fish is called "Bream," from some fancied likeness to the European fish of that name, which it resembles only in its outline. The true Bream belongs to the peaceable family of Cyprinidae, and our rapacious little friend to the Percidse. The first attains a weight of five or six pounds, in England, and the latter is seldom taken over eight or nine inches long. It is found in nearly all of the Atlantic States, and generally in the small streams and lake- lets through the whole length of the Mississippi valley, decreasing in size as its range extends northward. It is an excellent pan fish, its flesh being firm, crisp, and well flavored. I have been told that the Red-Bellied Bream is taken of a pound weight in the still waters of North and South Carolina. There are two species of Bream described by Dr. Holbrook. The one he describes as " Ichthylis incisor, "^^ is the Blue Bream, or Copper-Nosed Bream ; it seldom exceeds eight inches in length. The other, " Iclithylis ruhricunda,^^ is the Red-Bellied Perch, or Red-Tailed Bream. There is yet another Percoid, with brilliant sides and dark green mottled back, known as the Goggle-Eye, or War-Mouth Perch. Its shape is different from either of the first named, carrying its oval form no farther than the anal fin, where it falls off suddenly, and is thence yqyj small to the caudal. I have never seen a description of it in any work on ichthy- ology. These three species are frequently called Sunfish, or Sun Perch, and are taken in the same company. THE PERCH FAMILY. HQ Bream are taken with shrimp, minnows, crawfish, red worms, or a wedge-shaped fish-bait. They should be fished for with a slight reed rod, short line, and a No. 3 Kirby hook ; the bait from fifteen to twenty -four inches below the float, what- ever be the depth of the water. They haunt the mouths of small branches that put into creeks, ponds, or bayous, and are found around old stumps and logs, and love to lie beneath the scum or drift of sluggish waters. In fishing the bayous in the South, the angler frequently pushes aside the light drift with the end of his rod, and drops his bait into an opening not larger than the crown of his hat, and in a short time has captured a hatful of them. They are the delight of all juveniles ; a little urchin of ten years frequently catching a string of them as long as himself, and when Bass are not on the feed, they are the dernier ressort of the more ambitious angler. I have taken all three of these species in Bayou La Branch, about thirty miles north of New Orleans, on the Jackson Eailroad, going and returning the same day. With a pleasant companion, a bottle of claret, ice, and cold fowl, the day would pass pleasantly enough. In the month of April the black- berry bushes that grew along the banks of the bayou were laden with fruit, and when we could not reach them from the pirogue, we were sometimes tempted to go ashore for them, at the risk of meeting an alligator in its journey from the bayou to its nest in the canebrake. It was a dismal water, with long weepers of gray moss drooping from the trees ; and when a solitary fisherman paddled his canoe over the dark, waveless bayou, his form in the distance would suggest the idea of Old Charon. It certainly was a river of "sticks,''^ if not of Acheron. Will I ever wet my seagrass line in Bayou La Branch again ? I think not. 120 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK PIKE PEECH. OHIO SALMON. LiLcioperca Americana : Cuvier. Of the many misnomers given to fisli, tliat of " Salmon," as applied to this, is the most inappropriate. It has as few of the characteristics of the true Salmon as the Southern Bass has of the Trout. Still we are not disposed to find fault with rustic anglers because, in the absence of scientific knowledge, they have given what seemed to them the most fitting name for it. Anglers who look into books on ichthyology are at a loss to know why this fish, with its elongated body and general appearance so unlike the Perch, should have been placed in the family Percidae. The scientific name " Lucioperca" (Pike Perch), adopted by Cuvier, indicates its affinity to the Pike as well as the Perch. Kecent ichthyologists, however, amongst whom is Mr. Theodore Gill, are in favor of placing it in a sub-family, '' Percinas." Having no specimen at hand, we copy from Mr. Gill's " Synopsis of the sub-family Percinse," and his description of this genus : — " Body slender, elongate, fusiform, covered with scales arranged in oblique rows. Head semiconical, quite broad, with cheeks and opercles generally covered with scales ; isolated patches of scales on the sides of the posterior part of the head; rest of the head covered with naked skin. Pre- opercle serrated. Opercle armed with from one to five spines. THE PERCH FAMILY. 121 Dorsal fins two, the first supported by from twelve to fourteen spines. This genus is peculiar to fresh-water streams, rivers, and lakes of North America." There are several species of this genus found in Europe, where it is known as the Sandre. I have seen this fish as far south as Memphis, Tennessee. It is common, though not numerous, in all the tributaries of the Ohio and Mississippi. It is taken in Lake Champlain, where it is called Pike, in contradistinction to the Pickerel found there. It is remarkable that the Susquehanna and Juniata are the only rivers on the eastern slope of the Alle- ghanies where it is found ; but it is not as abundant as it once was. There also, as west of the mountains, it is called '' Salmon." Its flesh, which is perfectly white, is highly esteemed by the residents along the Ohio Eiver. It is said that it does not bite freely at a bait. When fished for, a live minnow is generally used ; a float and large hook are required in still- fishing. It is sometimes taken in trolling with the spoon in Lake Champlain. It is taken in the Alleghany from one to four pounds in weight, by trolling with a minnow at the foot of the rapids. 122 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK BUFFALO PEROH. WHITE PERCH OF THE OHIO. Abloden grunniens : Rafinesque. AlthoTigli this fish is known by the above common names, it is not a species of Percid^, but belongs to an entirely different family, that of Scienidae. It is the only Scienoid found in our rivers, and is confined to those on the western side of the Alleghanies, which flow into the Gulf of Mexico. I have placed it amongst the species of this family, only because it has the common name of Perch, Rafinesque's description of this fish, which was published nearly half a century ago, is quite interesting. I quote from his work on the fishes of the Ohio : — ''Entirely silvery, upper lip longer, lateral line curved upwards at the base, bent in the middle and straight poste- riorly, tail lunate, first dorsal fin with nine rays, the first very short, the second with thirty-five rays, the first spiny and short. " The vulgar names of this fish, are White Perch, Buffalo Perch, G-runting Perch, Bubbling Fish, Bubbler, and Muscle Eater. It is one of the largest and best found in the Ohio, reaching sometimes to the length of three feet, and the weight of thirty pounds, and affording a delicate food. It is also one of the most common, being found all over the Ohio, and even the Monongahela, and Allegheny, as also in the Mississippi, Tennessee, Cumberland, Kentucky, Wabash, Miami, and all the large tributary streams, where it is permanent, since it is found in all seasons except in winter. In Pittsburgh it appears again in February. It feeds on many species of THE PERCH FAMILY. 128 fishes ; suckers, catfishes, sunfisheS; &c., but principally on the muscles, or various species of the bivalve genus Unio, so common in the Ohio, whose thick shells it is enabled to crush by means of its large throat teeth. The structure of those teeth is very singular and peculiar ; they are placed like paving- stones on the flat bone of the lower throat in great numbers, and of different sizes ; the largest, which are as big as a man's nails, are always in the centre ; they are inverted in faint alveoles, but not at all connected with the bone ; their shape is circular and flattened, the inside always hollow with a round hole beneath : in the young fishes they are rather convex, and evidently radiated and mamillar, while in the old fishes they become smooth, truncate, and shining white. These teeth and their bone are common in many museums, where they are erroneously called teeth of the Buffalo-fish, or of a Catfish. I was deceived so far by this mistake, and by the repeated assertions of several persons, as to ascribe those teeth to the Buffalo-fish, which I have since found to be a real catostomus ; this error I now correct with pleasure. "A remarkable peculiarity of this fish consists in the strange grunting noise which it produces, and from which I have derived its specific name. It is intermediate between the dumb grunt of a hog and the single croaking noise of the bull frog ; that grunt is only repeated at intervals and not in quick succession. " This fish is either taken in the seine or with the hook and line ; it bites easily, and affords fine sport to the fisher- men ; it spawns in the spring, and lays a great quantity of eggs." The fish here described, though quite common in the Ohio River, my own observation leads me to suppose is compara- tively scarce in the Mississippi, above its junction with the former river. 124 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK At the time of the Sauve Crevasse, in the Mississippi above New Orleans, about fifteen years since, it found its way into Lake Ponchartrain, and thence into Lake Borgne, and the brackish and salt waters along the Gulf coast, where it is now permanent. It is very prolific and has improved in its flavor and appearance, having an increased silvery brightness, is more elongated in form, and of more graceful proportions. These changes are no doubt owing to the greater abundance of moluscs and Crustacea found in its new habitat. It has the true characteristics of the Scienoids, which are molusc- eating fishes, indigenous to shoal salt water. It is not very unlike the Croaker in shape ; it makes a similar noise, and is sometimes taken in company with that fish. The pharyn- gal bones, with their peculiar crushing teeth, closely resem- bles those of the Prum-fish. When young this is one of the most beautiful of the Acanihopterri. I have never seen it larger than five pounds in the New Orleans market, — there it is generally of a good size for the pan. In the Ohio it attains four or five times that size, ten or twelve pounds not being uncommon. This is no doubt the fish referred to in the '^ American Angler's Guide." (page 220), in these words : — " Of the Catfish. — This is the common fish of the western waters, and is taken by western sportsmen by squid and fly-trolling, and affords capital amusement. They take their name from the noise they make, similar to the purring of a cat." T have never heard them called "Catfish" along the Ohio or Mississippi, — that name being applied only to the big- mouthed fish, known all over the South and West by that appellation ; they do not take a squid or fly. Mr. Brown has doubtless been imposed upon, by some person addicted to telling "fish stories."' CHAPTER V. THE PIKE FAMILY ' Green air thy waters — greeu as bottle glass They lay stretched thar ; Fine Muscalongy and Oswego Bass Are ketched thar ; Wonst the red Injuns thar took their delights, Fisht, fit and bled ; Now the inhabitants is mostly whites With nary red." From " A Nock to Lake Ontario^'' found in the " K N Pepper i'opers,"— quoted from memory. CHAPTER V. THE PIKE FAMILY — ESOCID^. Remarks on the Pike Family. Mascaionge pictured by Cuvier. — Eu- ropean species. — American species. — The Garfish ; manner of taking it. — Dr. Bethune's remarks on Pikes. — Their introduction into Eng- land.— Pliny's Pike. — Gesner's Pike. The Great Lake Pickerel. Esox lucioides. — Trolling from a boat for Pickerel. The Mascalonge. Esox estor. — Angling for Mascaionge. The Pond Pike, Esox reticulatus. — Pike-fishing. — Trolling for Pike with the gorge-hook. — Pike-fishing in Eastern Virginia. The Great Blue Pike. The Little Pike of Long Island. The Streaked Pike of the Ohio. — Story told about a Pike taken in the Kanawha. In Cuvier and Valenciennes' great work, the only fish of this family I find pictured is our Mascaionge, Esox estor. The figure is incorrectly colored, and in its markings re- sembles the Great Northern Pickerel, Esox lucioides, rather than the fish it is intended to represent. There are but few species of Pikes found in Europe. Esox Indus, Avhich is common both to England and the Continent, is a handsome fish and grows to a large size. I think it quite likely that there are American species of this family which have not yet been described. De Kay, Richardson, and Holbrook, jointly, do not mention more than FIX or seven. Besides the Mascaionge and Great Northern (127) 128 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK Pickerel, I am impressed witli the idea tliat there are two other species in Lake Ontario. The large fish called the " Blue Pike" or " Black Pike," found in Pennsylvania and Virginia, west of the Alleghanies, which equals the Masca- longe in size, and another species found in the Ohio and its tributaries, I have never seen properly described or pictured. Frank Forester, in his remarks on the Esocidse, assigns the Great Garfish of the Southern and Western States to this family, calling it " Esox osseus^ There can be no generic affinity between the two. The Gar {Lepidosteus), as I have remarked on a preceding page, is one of the few representa- tives of the ancient order of Ganoids remaining at the present ; while the Pikes, according to Hugh Miller, were not ushered into existence until perhaps millions of years after. Even if they had been cotemporaneous in Creation, the two orders, being so entirely different, would not admit of such classifi- cation. In the waters along the Gulf of Mexico, Gars are frequently an annoyance to the fisherman ; they appear sometimes in numbers, scaring away other fish, taking off one's bait, and often cutting the line with their sharp teeth, while there is hardly a possibility of hooking them in their hard bony jaws. I have tried frequently to secure one, but was never success- ful. A friend has since told me of a way of taking them, in which he says the negroes are more fortunate ; he describes it thus : — A noose is made by passing a string through a fish of suitable size, say of seven or eight inches, lengthwise, which can be done with a long baling-needle, and then through a loop at the other end of the string, where it is tied to the tip of a long pole or stout reed. The fish is adjusted so as to form the base of a triangle, the slip-knot being at the upper angle, nearest the pole. This triangular snare is then displayed on the surface of the water, and dabbled up and THE PIKE FAMILY. 129 down to attract tlie notice of the Gar, whicli soon appears, and as it seizes the fish crosswise (which is its custom) it runs its long upper jaV or rather its bill into the noose, when the string is tightened bj lifting the pole, and the Gar drawn ashore. I have heard it said that the Alligator Gar has been taken as long as eight feet. Dr. Bethune in his notes to his edition of Walton, says : " The name Esox is first used by Pliny, who describes a great fish in the Ehine, which attained the size of a thousand pounds (! ! !), was caught with a hook attached to a chain {catenato hamo), and drawn out by oxen {houm jugis)^ Of its introduction into England he remarks : " The Pike is said to have been brought into England about the time of the Reformation, according to a distich erroneously quoted by Walton, when speaking of the Carp, from Baker's Chronicles (p. 317, ed. 1666). where it is, ' Turkeys, Carps, Hoppes, Piccarel, and Beet, Came into England all in one year ;' i. e., the fifteenth year of Henry VIII. This is, however, all error. Pike or Pickerel were the subject of legal regulations in the time of Edward I. Turkeys were brought from America about 1521. Hops were introduced about 1524." The Doctor says that Pliny, in his description of the thou- sand pounder, wrote only from hearsay. In alluding to Gesner's Pike, he quotes Bloch, the ichthyologist, Avho says : " This Pike was fifteen feet long, and weighed three hundred and fifty pounds. His skeleton was for a long time preserved at Manheim." . Pickering, in his Piscatorial Reminiscences, speaks of a Pike killed (caught) in Loch Spey that weighed one hundred and forty- six pounds. Of another of twenty -eight pounds, in X30 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. which the cook found a black ribband and keys. Quoting Dodsley's Register, 1765, he says : " In emptying a pool which had not been fished for ages, at Lilleshall Lime Works near New Port, an enormous Pike was found, weighing one hundred and seventy pounds." It is said that Pikes will eat all the smaller fish in a con- fined pond, and then the larger will devour the smaller, until at last only the largest remains, a solitary proprietor of the domain. After being so amiable as to quote the foregoing "fish stories/' without openly expressing a doubt as to the truth of them, it wouJ.d hardly be fair in the reader to doubt the story of a large Pike on a subsequent page, which was told to me by the hostler of a hotel in Wheeling, twenty years ago. The term " Pickerel" is applied to all fish of this genus, with the exception of the Mascalonge, by the people of New York and the Eastern States. In the Middle States they are called " Pike'" and in Virginia and further South they go by the name of " Jackfish." 132 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. scription. There are foTirteen branchial rays. The dorsal fin, which is one-eighth the length of the body, has eighteen rays ; pectorals fifteen ; ventrals (midway between snont and end of the caudal), fifteen rays ; anal (slightly posterior to the dorsal), fifteen. The candal is bilobed, rather than forked ; it has eighteen rays reaching the posterior margin, and two or three stout rudimentary rays above and below them ; the upper lobe of the caudal is the longer. For want of a better artist, I was induced five or six years since, when on a visit to the Thousand Isles, to try my hand for the first time on this fish ; and with the aid of an inch measure — for it is a purely mechanical production — made as correct a drawing as I could. The figure at the head of this article is a reduced copy ^f it. As I had never seen the pecu- liar markings of this fish correctly drawn, I took some pains to do so. My description is from one taken at the same time. This fish is known about the Thousand Isles as the Marsh Pickerel, and is found more generally in the coves and on the flats than in the deep water. The "Channel Pickerel," which I suppose to be another species, is a more symmetrical fish, with less fulness of body between the dorsal fin and the tail. It has a yellow instead of a leaden tinge. The markings are three times as numerous and about one-third the size, though of the same shape as those of the Marsh Pickerel ; it is found generally in deep water. There is a third variety, which is shorter in the body than either of these, but the color and markings the same as the Marsh Pickerel; some of them, though, are the shape of the letter L, with the lower limb elongated. It is called the " Short Pickerel." The larger species (the Marsh Pickerel) grows to the weight of twenty-five pounds ; it is even said that it has been taken as high as thirty-eight. It is common in the St. Law- rence and Ijake Ontario, and all of their connecting waters. THE PIKE FAMILY. Ig^ and iu Lake Champlain. It has been introduced into Lake George within the last seven or eight years. Pickerel are taken almost entirely by trolling with some artificial spinning bait ; of these the murderous implement called the spoon is in general use. A stout troUing-rod of ten feet, a multiply ing-reel with a hundred yards of plaited-silk line, and the spinning bait, attached by one or two swivels, completes the troller's outfit. A gaff is sometimes used ; but as the fish, when he is drawn up to the boat, has generally two or three hooks in his jaws, it is not required. Alexandria Bay, near the Thousand Isles of the St. Law- rence, is a favorite resort for those who fish for Pickerel. In trolling for them, when the angler takes his seat in the boat, he generally finds his oarsman silpplied with one or two stout cedar poles, which by your permission he will rig out on one or both sides, like studding-sail booms. Trailing from each of these poles, there will be thirty or forty yards of strong hemp line, with a spoon attached by a swivel ; and while he looks after them, he leaves you to the enjoyment of your jointed rod, your multiply ing-reel, and your pipe, in the stern. When a fish is hooked the boatman slacks his speed, keeping easy way to prevent the lines on the other rods from becoming entangled, or the spoons from sinking to the bottom. If the fish be on the line attached to the native rod, you throw the point forward, grasp the line, and pull in the victim hand over hand. As he nears the boat, he will perhaps raise his head out of the water and rattle the spoon- (in the oarsman's vernacular, " ring the bell"). By the time you get him alongside he is generally docile ; when you put your hand over and grasp him by the nape of the neck, bring him on board, disengage the hooks, give him a few taps on the head with a stick kept in the boat for that purpose, and the drama is played out. When you strike a fish with your X34 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK, own rod, if yon request it, the boatman will cease rowing, draw his lines in, and let you fight your adversary in your own way, which after all is not much of a fight, and after a steady strain on your rod and reel, he is drawn in and knocked on the head, as just described. The number and weight of Pickerel taken in a day's fishing in this way is considerable ; though I cannot see that the wear and tear of fine tackle expended on them is justified by trolling for them, with any other than that used by the natives. But to one to whom angling is really "the contemplative man's recreation," the fairy boat, the clear deep water, and the beauty of the Thousand Isles, are suggestive of the far-off times, when the Indian in his bark canoe, the early explorer, the devout Jesuit missionary, and hardy voyageurs passed over the great inland seas and their connecting waters; and strange legends, traditions, and history almost forgotten come up before him. THE PIKE F AM r LY. l^] are spoken of where the weight was as much as seventy pounds. Angling for Mascalonge is the same as for Pickerel, the spoon being almost universally used. They are active, and have more pluck than the large Pickerel ; though any angler who holds a stout trolling-rod, with a good multiplying- reel and a hundred yards of good line, if he is cool and waits assiduously on his enemy, is sure of him. I had rather trust to a good grip on the nape of the neck, than to a gaff-hook in getting one into the boat. I know of old anglers who have experienced better things, who make long excursions in pursuit of Mascalonge, who will sit on a cushioned seat with a cushioned back in the stern of a boat, and suffer themselves to be pulled about all day, with a trolling-rod extended from each side. I never could appre- ciate this inactive mode of taking fish, which is little better than cockney punt-fishing, and does not require one- tenth the skill. If spoon-fishing had been practised in Maelzel's day, and that ingenious man had been an angler, no doubt he would have constructed an automaton Pickerel-fisber. 138 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK, THE POND PIKE, OE COMMON PIKE. The smaller species of Pikes are confined almost exclusively to the streams on the eastern slope of the Alleghanies. There is much resemblance in their general appearance. I give the wood-cut at the head of this article, as a general representative of the whole. The Pond Pike is not often taken above five pounds, its average being less than a pound and a half. They are seldom if ever captured by trolling with a spoon ; I suppose, for the reason that they are not fished for in that way. The live bait is used in still-fishing, when the Pike generally takes it near the bank, where he is in the habit of looking for small fish. In fishing a pond, where there are water- lilies, grass, or other aquatic vegetation, it is generally from a boat, with a long light rod, the bait a minnow, frog's leg, a piece of the Pike's belly, or a strip of pork. The Pike of England is larger than our common Pond Pike, and doubtless more worthy of the elaborate tackle and scientific angling used in its capture. And, although there is a prevalent indisposition amongst our anglers to learn any- thing out of a book, there are still a few who have profited by the lessons taught in English books, and use the leaded gorge-hook, with much advantage over the usual manner of THE PIKE FAMILY. |39 fishing for them here. The tackle and the mode of taking them, described with so much minuteness by Hofland and Salter, are seldom resorted to in this country. Our anglers having so many fish amongst the Perch and Salmon families, and salt-water species, affording an infinite deal more sport, the Pike of our ponds are considered fish of secondary or third-rate importance. When -fishing a pond from a boat, the snood should have two hooks, the smaller about two inches above the larger ; the end of the bait or head of the minnow being held by the upper, while the lower hook is passed through it mid- way. When the Pike takes the bait he should be allowed to run a short distance ; the line should then be tightened and the angler strike, and get the fish into the boat as soon as possible, never allowing him any slack line. Trolling for Pike with a Gorge-Hook. — Where there are deep holes close in by the bank, trolling with the gorge- hook is far more successful than any other mode. A good bass rod of twelve feet, with metallic guides and tip, and an easy-running reel with forty yards of plaited-silk line, are then required : a tin bait-box, carried at one's side like a powder-flask, is best to hold the minnows used for bait ; they should have bran, coarse meal, or saw- dust put in with them, to prevent their rubbing or bruising. A piece of gimp of twelve inches is attached by a box-swivel to the line, and a hook-swivel is fastened at the other end of the gimp, for the purpose of taking off or putting on the bait after it is placed on the GORGE-HOOK. 140 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. The (lisgorgiiig-hook aud baiting-needle are considered superfluous by American trollers, a forked stick being used to disengage the bait when it is far down the fish's throat. In putting on the minnow for a bait, the twisted wire to which the leaded hook is fastened is put — small end foremost of course — into the mouth of the bait, and worked along the backbone until it comes out at the tail, when it is drawn entirely through, the lead lying in the belly of the minnow. The tail and back fins are then nipped off with a knife, or with the thumb and finger-nails,, and the minnow bent slightly near the tail to insure its spinning or twirling, and attached to the gimp by the hook-swivel. In trolling, the minnow is drawn through the water tail foremost. If you cast much among weeds and grass, it is necessary to tie the tail of the bait to the wire of the gorge-hook, with a few turns of coarse thread; it is perhaps better in all cases. English anglers are sometimes so nice as even to sew up the mouth of the minnow. With a line of convenient length, not longer than the rod, approach the bank carefully, casting close in shore, dropping the bait in softly, and by successive short pulls, raising and lowering the point of your rod, draw it towards you. You will notice that as you lower the point of the rod, the bait shoots forward and downward with a spiral motion, assisted in its twirling by the easy turning of the swivels and its having been bent, and that it spins or twirls in the same way as it is drawn towards you. When you have drawn in the bait sufficiently near you by these short pulls, raise it gently from the water, and cast and draw as before. If your bait is not taken near the bank, extend your cast up and down, and across towards the opposite bank, and towards the water-lilies, brush- wood, and under-bushes, and around and about old stumps, being careful not to be caught by roots or brush. THE PIKE FAMILY. 141 As the length of the cast is increased, draw a proportionate length of line from the reel, holding part of it in a coil in your left hand, and letting it go as yon cast; the impetus acquired by the leaded bait will not only take the coil held in your hand, but an additional quantitj' from the reel, if it runs freely. The extra length of line is recovered by winding up ; or gathering at each raising, and lowering of the point of the rod, a foot or two at a time, with the left hand, holding it in coils ready for the next cast. It is said that English Pike-fishers are able to cast thirty yards or more, when they cannot approach a desirable spot. It is well to draw^ the bait well home between each cast, as a Pike will occasionally follow it for some distance, when he is not hungry, as a cat does a mouse, and seize it only Avhen he finds that it is about to escape, as you draw it from the water. When your bait is arrested, or you feel a tug, lower the point of the rod, and give the fish as much line as he wants ; he will take it to his haunt, or some place near at hand, and swallow, or. as the English anglers say, '' pouch it ;" for the Pike seizes his prey crosswise in his long jaws, and taking it to his haunt, turns it and swallows it head foremost. As this requires some moments or perhaps minutes, the angler is kept in hopeful suspense, and in the meanwhile his line should remain perfectly slack : but as soon as the fish has pouched the bait, the hook pricking the sides of his stomach, causes him uneasiness and he starts off: then give him a yard or so to run, and winding up the slack strike sharply, for in nine cases out of ten he is hooked beyond all perad venture of escape. If he is a fish of moderate size, reel him in and lift him ashore, or catching hold of the gimp trace, throw him out. If he is large and requires line, give it grudgingly, and keep him away from all places that Avould endanger your tackle, or enable him to get your line foul ; if you do so, there is 142 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK, little cliance of losing liim, for he pulls as steady as a Conestoga wagon-liorse, and knows few of the wiles of the Trout or Bass. If, after seizing your bait and making liis first run, he appears long in pouching it, you may feel him gently, by winding up the slack slowly and bearing on him slightly. If he is still there, he will resist or signify his dissent by a shake or another tug, when the line must be again slacked, and more time given him. On certain kinds of days a Pike will seize the bait, make bis first run and then drop or onl}^ chew it, as if he was overfed or indifferent. Then it is better to use hooks, as described for pond-fishing on a preceding page, putting the smaller through the lips of the minnow, and the larger through the back, just behinid the dorsal fin, and fish as there directed. Much depends ^^ the day in Pike-fishing, some persons say even on the quamr the moon may be in. On a cloudy day, if not too warm, I liave found them to take a bait from sunrise to ten o'clock, or from four in the afternoon until dark, though sometimes they are on th,^' feed all day. The Pike spawns in this latitude in the latter part of February, or early in March, or directly after the ice is gone, and soon recovers condition. He may be taken by snap- fishing at almost any season after spawning. Trolling with the gorge-hook is not successful until later in the season — from August until November is considered the best time, or even later if the weather is warm. They may be taken all winter in open weather by trolling, and numbers of them are cauffht bv fishino- throua^h holes cut in the ice. Trolling from the bank is the most sportsmanlike way of taking the Pike ; and, as will be observed, is very different from trolling or rather trailing the bait from a boat, as it is rowed along. Still, after one has taken the magnificent THE PIKE FAMILY. I43 Striped aud Fresh-water Bass, Trout; Weakfish, Barb, and Eed- fisli through the summer, at the end of a long line, he is apt to think trolling for Pike stupid sport, notwithstanding the importance attached to it by English anglers. There is one recommendation to it, however ; it is apt to fill the creel, in parts of the countrj^ where diminutive streams and ponds furnish no other than small or worthless fish. It is scarcely necessary to say to a sagacious angler, that the larger the run of Pike, the larger the bait to be used, and as a consequence the larger the .hook. When the fish are small — from three-quarters to a pound and a quarter — a minnow the size of one's little finger is large enough ; if they run two pounds and upward, a roach or chub of four or five inches is better. A pike of four pounds will readily take a roach of six inches. Pike-fishing is enjoyed much by the anglers of Virginia, between tidewater and Blue Ridge, in the fall of the year. The usual method is to bait one or more holes for Carp, as they are called there (though truly Suckers). A half-peck or so of coarse corn meal is made into a stiff dough, and thrown in at intervals of two or three days, for a week or so, to attract the Carp, which are fished for before breakfast, and late in the afternoon. This food also draws the minnows, and the small fr}^ of course attract the "Jackfish," as the Yirginians call the Pike. Early on some frosty morning, then, the angler of the Old Dominion may be seen wending his way to a baited hole, preceded by a negro boy, with four or half a dozen pine poles on his shoulder, and a chunk of corn bread in his hand, the use of which I will mention anon. When he gets to the baited hole, he proceeds deliberately to bait his Carp-hooks with earth-worms, and drops them quietly in, some distance out from the shore. Then with a small hook and line he 144 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK catches his minnows, baits his Jack-hooks (which are sus- pended to the ends of stout lines two feet or so below large corks), and ranges them in a line close to the bank, where the Pike are most likely to lie in ambush for the minnows, as Captain Walker used to wait in the chaparral for the " Greasers," down on the Eio Grande. After he sets his poles he then " sets himself," on a stump, or log, or on a bench made for that purpose, and for the use of all anglers who fish that hole, and waits patiently for a bite. When there is a tremulous motion of his Carp-corks, the angler shows a disposition to rise, as if to discuss an " abstract question ;" but if a school of minnows skip suddenly along the surface, mention of the John Brown raid could not arouse him so thoroughly — Jack are about ! his middle cork sails away and disappears ; he gives him a little time, then pulls with all his might, and the fish is landed. He places the toe of his boot under the abdominal fins, and sends Johannis Esox some ten paces farther inland, and leaves him flouncing and rustling in the dry leaves. Then baiting his hook again, he "sets his pole," and takes his seat on the bench to wait for another bite. If there are no signs of Jack, after awhile he crumbles up a little piece of the corn bread his black adjutor has brought along, strews it over the water to attract the minnows, and sits down again, perhaps rising occasionally to land a Carp — but look out! the minnows skip again! there, the cork nearest the alders ! jerk — he has missed him — he pulled too soon. Perhaps he " cusses" a little, but baits his hook again, resets his pole, and once more takes his seat on the bench. If the Jack bite well, he resigns the capture of the less noble game — the Suckers — to his henchman, who has been standing all the time with his hands in his pockets, rubbing one foot over the other to keep them warm, and shivering as a negro THE PIKE FAMILY. 145 boy always will on a frosty morning, whether he is cold or not. As the day advances, he wiles the minnows with the crumbs of corn bread, and the minnows attract the Jack- fish. At last, after more or less sport, he strings his fish on a dogwood switch, hands them to Caesar, goes home, takes a honey dram, or, if he has taken the temperance pledge lately, compromises on a mug of persimmon beer, which he calls " 36.30/' and sits down to breakfast ; and such a breakfast as is seldom found outside of the Old Dominion. On such excursions, when I have been with ''the Major," minnows would be scarce, and the Jackfish would keep their hiding-places ; then Avith my trolling-rod and gorge-hook, I have forced from him acknowledgment of the superiority of science over native aptness. But he always viewed trolling in the light of some new-fangled " Northern heresy ;" and when I have attempted to drill him in my tactics, he would make a few casts and return to his big cork lines ; and still adheres to their use with as much pertinacity as he does to the "political teachings of Thomas Jefierson," or the doctrine of State Rights. I would not imply from the foregoing, that the anglers of the Old Dominion are solitary or unsocial in their sports ; on the contrary they are gregarious, and consequently convivial. A fishing-party, if stationary, sometimes lasts all day, and is apt to draw an occasional passer-by ; wlien a game of "seven- up" or a tune on a fiddle is interluded. " The Major" says, a cockfight sometimes varies the amusements of the day ; and that he has even known a quarter race to come off in an adjoining lane, by way of finale to the day's sport. [Since penning the foregoing sketch of an old friend, the besom of war has swept over the broad fields along the upper Rappahannock, where he lived ; crops have been destroyed, 10 146 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. farm slock driven off, servants scattered, and many a hos- pitable homC; that was open to all comers, has been desolated, I prefer not altering what I have written, for I love to think of that pan of the country and its people as they were, and indulge the hope that when our Union is restored, I shall again behold "the Major" as I last saw him after returning from Jack -fishing — warming himself before his big log-fire.] THE PIKE FAMILY. 147 GREAT BLUE PIKE. This fish has a broad short snout, which is very different from the diicklike bill of the Pond Pike ; its head resembling what one might imagine the produce of the bulldog and greyhound would be. It has a formidable array of broad lancet-looking teeth. I have the head of a specimen, sent from Meadville, Pennsylvania, in a jar of alcohol, which measures twenty-five inches in circumference ; after large slices of it being cut off, to get it into the jar. Mr. Wilson, who keeps the gun and fishing-tackle store in Chestnut Street below Fifth, Philadelphia, has the dried head of a Pike of the same species in his window, with its two rows of teeth all complete ; it is worth examining. This fish is found in the lakelets and in the streams that are tributary to the Ohio, in the south-western part of ISTew York, Pennsylvania, and North-western Virginia. A friend tells me it takes a live bait nine or ten inches long, and pulls like a Shetland pony. It has been taken weighing as much as eighty pounds in Connaught Lake in Bradford County. Pennsylvania. THE LITTLE POND PIKE OF LONG ISLAND. In olden times on Long Island there was a small Pike which bothered the fly-fisher a great deal, rising at the fly and insisting on being caught. Frank Forester describes it at length in his book as Esoxfasciatus. 148 AMERICAN ANOLER'8 BOOK THE STEEAKED PIKE OF THE OHIO. Esox vittatus : Rafinesque. Of the Pikes found in the Ohio, Rafinesque says : — '' There are several species of Pikes in the Ohio, Mississippi; Wabash, Kentucky, &c. I have not yet been able to observe them thoroughly. I have, however, procured correct accounts, and figures of two species ; but there are more. They appear to belong to a peculiar subgenus distinguished by a long dorsal fin, a forked tail, and' the abdominal fins anterior, being removed from the vent. It may be called Picorellus. The French settlers of the Wabash and Missouri call them Piconeau, and the American settlers Pikes or Pickerels. They are permanent but rare fishes, retiring however in deep waters in winter. They prefer the large streams, are very voracious, and grow to a large size. They prey on all the other fishes except the Garfishes, &c. They are easily taken with the hook, and afford a very good food, having a delicate flesh. " Streaked Pike. Esox vittatus. Brochet raye. "White, with two blackish longitudinal streaks on each side, back brownish ; jaws nearly equal, very obtuse, eyes large and behind the mouth ; dorsal fins longitudinal between the abdominal and anal fins ; tail forked. " This fish is rare in the Ohio, (although it has been seen at Pittsburgh), but more common in the Wabash and Upper THE PIKE FAMILY. 149 Mississippi. It is called Piconeau or Picaneau by the Cana- dians and Missourians. It reaches the length of from three to five feet. The pectoral and abdominal fins are trapezoidal, the anal and dorsal longitudinal, with many rays and nearly equal. It is sometimes called Jack or Jackfish. Lateral line straight." I saw an account, and an engraving of a fish of this species in some scientific journal a few years since, at the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and fully intended to have referred to it in this work ; but on looking for it recently- having forgotten the title of the periodical— much to my regret I was unable to find it, even with the assistance of the librarian. I have been told by Kentucky anglers that this Pike takes a Chub or a Sucker a foot long, and prefers a bait of that size to a smaller one ; and that in setting night-lines for it, the usual way is to go in a boat to pools which it frequents, and tie the line to the limb of a tree, extending over the water. When the fish takes the bait, the branch giving, allows him to run a little with his prey, and when he is securely hooked, it also acts as a rod, yielding, though still holding him. Miraculous stories are told of the size of a Pike found in the Kanawha and other tributaries of the Ohio, below Wheel- ing, Virginia, which must be of the species referred to above. If these accounts are to be credited, it is the largest Pike ever taken with hook and line— excepting, always, Pliny's and old Gesner's. One of the stories alluded to, I heard many years ago, when detained at Wheeling, Virginia, waiting for the Cincinnati packet. It was from the hostler of the hotel opposite the steamboat landing. He told me that the proprietor, who was then on a fishing excursion to the Kanawha, on a former trip 160 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. had taken a Pike which reached clear across the dining-table after its head and tail were cut off ; and that it was necessary to have a tin boiler made expressly to cook it. He did not say how much wood was consumed in boiling it ; probably some- thing less than a cord. From his " dare-devil" air, and the leer in his eye I had a faint impression that he was quizzing me. But he affirmed positively as to the length of the fish, as he sat in his shirt- sleeves, with his thumbs under his sus- nenders, and a verv lonsr native seorar in his mouth. CHAPTER VI. THE CARP FAMILY ' Let me live harmleasly, aud uear the brink Of Trent or Avou, have a dwelling-place; Where 1 may see my quill or cork down sink With eager bite of Perch, or Bleak, or Dace, And on the world and my Creator think ; Whilst some men strive ill-gotten goods to embrace, And others spend their time in base excess Of wine, or worse, in war and wantonness. " Let them that list, these pastimes still pursue, And on such pleasing fancies feed their till. So I the fields and meadows green may view. And daily by fresh rivers walk at will. Among the daisies and the violets blue. Red hyacinth, aud yellow daffodil. Purple narcissus like the morning rays. Pale gander-grass, and azure culverkeys." Jo. D.WORS, Km- J CHAPTER VI. THE CAEP FAMILY — CYPKINID^. Remarks on the Cyprinid^. The Sucker. Catosiomus communis. Buffalo Fish. Catosiomus habulus. — Buffalo Fish as an article of diet. The Chub or Fallfish. Leucosomus noihus. — Errors of American writers in regard to the size of the Chub. — Chub an annoyance to iSy-fishers. — Chub-fishing on the Brandjwine. — Umbrella invented by a Chub Fisherman. Roach, and Roach-fishing. This family furnishes but few species that may be called game fish. The more ambitious angler who has access to Trout-streams or waters where Bass and Pike are found, seldom fishes for them in this country. As food they are not esteemed, and in warm weather are scarcely edible. There are pleasing associations, however, connected with some of the fish of this family. To many an angler they have furnished the means of a rudimentary knowledge of the gentle art, while the pursuit of them along the streams that flow through green meadows, has likely fostered a love of quiet pastoral scenery ; and if, in after years, he reads the lines attributed by Walton to "Jo Davers, Esq.," quoted on the preceding leaf, he will more thoroughly appreciate the character of our simple-hearted, though strong-headed Father (153) 154 AMERICAN A N G L E R ' vS BOOK. Izaak, as in his fancy he hears him discourse with his pupil, under a honeysuckle hedge during a shower. The characteristics of this family are : the mouth slightly cleft ; weak jaws, most frequently without teeth ; margin of the jaws formed by the intermaxillaries. Pharyngeals strongly toothed ; lips fleshy. Branchial rays few. Body scaly. One dorsal fin. Belly not compressed; never serrated. Intestinal canal short. The least carnivorous or predatory of all fishes. There are nearly thirty genera, and over two hundred species. THE SUCKER. Catostomus communis : De Kay. There are several species of the genus Catostomus known by this common name ; they appear to be ubiquitous in the streams of the Northern, Middle, and Western States, are less numerous in the Southern, and are seldom found in those states that border on the Gulf of Mexico. The Sucker cannot be called a sporting fish, yet the diffi- culty of taking it with hook and line, and the nicety required in fishing for it, makes the taking of it a matter of interest to those who like to accomplish something difficult in angling. As an article of food it is only esteemed when other fish are scarce. When fly-fishing in the month of June, I have frequently found them to collect in large numbers in some gentle current to spawn ; then Trout are apt to lie at the lower end of the school to catch the ova as it drifts down stream. At such places the angler is sure of a good catch of Trout, which will rise readily at the fly although they may be gorged with the spawn of the Suckers. THE CARP FAMILY. 155 In Eastern Virginia the Sucker is called "Carp," and they are fished for in the same manner as the Carp in England ; this mode of angling having no doubt been handed down by the early settlers. A hole in the creek, river, or mill-pond is baited every evening for a Aveek or ten days with coarse corn-meal dough, and is then fished early in the morning and late in the afternoon ; the season of the year, April, October, and November. In still water a float is used, and a small hook with an earth-worm put on so as to let it crawl on the bottom ; it is sucked in by the fish ; the moti<)n of the cork is slight, the angler striking as it moves off, or as it is drawn geuily under. BUFFALO FISH. Catostomus hahulos : Rafinesque. In mentioning the specific characteristics of this fish, Rafi- nesque says : " Diameter one-fifth of the total length ; oliva- cious brown, pale beneath, fins blackish, pectoral fins brown and short ; head sloping, snout rounded, cheeks whitish ; lateral straight, dorsal fin narrow, with twenty-eight equal rays, anal trapezoidal with twelve rays." "It is called every- where Buffalo Fish, and ' Piconeau' by the French settlers of Louisiana. It is commonly taken with a dart at night when asleep, or in the seine ; it does not bite readily at the hook. It feeds on smaller fishes and shells,* and often goes in shoals." This is a true Sucker, though his proportions are very unlike the elongated friend of our youthful days. Its shape * An error. None of the Catostf : li feed on molluscs ; their weak jaws and peculiar mouth render it impo'^l!,!:. 156 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. resembles what a huge Perch might be, if inflated ; for its body is not only very deep, but thick and full, and is puffed ap to the very tail ; a fish of thirty inches, weighing almost as many pounds. It is seldom taken with a hook and line, and is of little interest to the angler. I notice it here, only because it is never seen by the angler of the Atlantic States, though it is common to all the waters that connect with the Ohio and Mississippi. Its flesh is gross and unpalatable. At St. Louis I have seen a dray -load of these unwieldy, mis- shapen fish, brought on board of a steamboat bound for New Orleans. Although kept in ice, they would get rather stale by the time the boat reached the cotton and sugar regions. Billy Clark, an assistant clerk on one of these boats, who was somewhat of a wag, would write, them down at the head of the bill of fare " Mississippi Salmon a la tartare," but quietly remarked, he woiild as soon eat a piece of the Ohio Fat Boy. Some of the natives though, who came aboard, apparently from inland, on our passage down, seemed to relish them hugely. I remember one of these, a short, pot-bellied, bald- headed little man, with low-quartered shoes, short trousers, and a brown linen jacket, an outline of whose figure closely resembled the fish in question. There used to be some fast eating on western steamboats in those days. I have seen all the courses from "soup," down to "almonds and raisins," done in twenty minutes: but when this piscivorous little gentleman sat down to boiled Buffalo, it was astonishing to a man accustomed to slow eating. The mention of this fish brings up other ludicrous reminiscences ; but " Farewell ! a word that must be, and hath been — A sound which makes us linger — yet, farewell !" The Sunny South — farewell, great Babulus, and all the minor Catostomi. THE CARP FAMILY. 157 THE CHUB, OK FALLFISH. Leucosomus nothus. There are several species of the genus Leucosomus found in the Eastern and Middle States. I therefore omit a descrip- tion of any one species as a representative of the fish called '•' Chub." The Chub is a persecuted individual in a Trout-stream ; one whose name is cast out as a reproach amongst fly -fishers , whose head is knocked off. or he is thrown ashore on a sun shiny day to linger and die on the pebbly beach, like an Ishmaelite in the sands of the great Sahara. Every man's hand is against him. Dr. Bethune, in a note to his edition of Walton, says : " The Chub in this country is the scorn and vexation of the angler, and, except when large, is by no means the shy fish that Walton and other English writers describe him to be ; on the contrary, he is a bold biter, more ready than welcome at any bait offered him.'' Mr. Brown, in the "American Angler's Graide," says, "Their length is not usually over ten inches ;" and Frank Forester writes, " The American Chub never exceeds ten inches." The writers last quoted could not have fished many of the tributaries of the Delaware and Susquehanna, or they never would have recorded so gross an error. The Upper Dela- ware, the Beaverkill, Schuylkill, West Canada Creek, and many other streams, abound in large Chub, and any urchin who wets his clumsy line, with a white grub at the end of it, knows better. Immediately below Frank Forester's remark just quoted, I find (in a copy of his book in my possession) the following note by the president of our little club : " A 158 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. mistake — I have taken them twenty-two inches long and weighing three pounds ; common in the Schuylkill; eighteen inches." Dr. Bethune is unnecessarily disparaging in his remarks on this fish. In many sections of the country it furnishes excellent sport; especially in those streams where Trout have been fished out; or have disappeared from other causes ; it takes a grasshopper at midwater or on the surface^ and on a warm day rises freely at the fly, and shows much pluck when hooked. But when fly-fishing for Trout, in some streams they are so numerous as to be deservedly considered a nui- sance ; for it is a severe trial of the angler's patience, when he hooks a good Trout in a rift, and as he gets him into still water and has almost drowned him, to have a big Chub with his fresh vigor seize the other fly, and be held tight by his leathery mouth, while the chances for the escape of the Trout are augmented. Then again they will he jumping at your flies, frequently getting the start of a shy Trout, or, after being hooked, swim deep and strong, and encourage the vain hope that it is a stout, steady-pulling Trout ; but one glance at the back fin or his forked tail as he gives in, dispels the illusion. They prefer a fly with a big I'ed body, and in such streams those who fish for Trout should avoid a dubbing of that color. Some years back I was one of a party on the Beaverkill, when an incipient fly-fisher hooked a large Chub, and played it some minutes, supposing it to be a Trout ; on landing it. he looked at a veteran native angler, as if to solicit his approval, but '" Uncle Peter," turning over the Chub with the toe of his boot, remarked in his quiet way, '' why, he's as big as a lamb." There was a laugh, and of course the angler was chagrined, when he was told the Chub was never basketed there. THE CARP FAMILY. ^59 A friend who is a veteran Chub-fislier, and who stands up for his favorite, writes thus in his defence : I insert his remarks, word for word : — " I suggest that the mistake of Frank Forester arises from the fact of a fish with a clumsy, horny head, which is washy and worthless, and rarely attains a greater length than ten inches, is frequently found in Trout-streams, and is called ' Chub.' But the fish in question, which is known in Chester county and in many other parts of the state as Hhe Fallfish,' probably from his being in the best condition and most readily taken in the autumn months, is a shapely, cleanly fish, with a white, silvery belly, and when well grown is shy and requires careful and quiet fishing. The sides and heads of those above twelve inches are often colored with a pink tinge." From the above it will be seen that the Chub is much esteemed in many streams for the sport he affords in bottom- fishing. The best season of the year is September ; a grass- hopper or grub-worm, or a small cube of tough cheese, is a good bait ; the bottom-tackle should be neat, as he bites delicately ; a long, light cane rod, a small float, and a No. 1 Kirby hook, are appropriate tackle. Some anglers now residents of the " Quaker City," who came from an adjoining county, as our friend just quoted, are expert Chub -fishers. I am acquainted with a retired mer- chant, a neat, dapper old gentleman, who fishes the Brandy - wine, and has all kinds of contrivances pertaining to catching them. To be appreciated, he should be seen with his tin bait-box strapped before him, his portable stool, and his im- provement for holding his umbrella without the use of his hands; the latter invention is a long pocket, two inches wide and twelve inches deep, down the back of his coat, into which he slips the staff of his umbrella, and waits patiently 160 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOO for a bite, regardless of April showers or July's scorching sun. When the mild Indian summer is over, he greases his long reed pole with linseed oil, and lays it carefully away ; viewing it now and then with the same satisfaction that Grloster did his " bruised arms hung up for monuments." I have suggested to him the use of the artificial fly, but he believes not in things ethereal, or things ephemeral, but has more "confidence in the flesh," viz. -red worms and white grubs. Long may he live to fish for Chub, chewing " the cud of sweet and bitter fancy," as well as his Bologna sausage at noon, while he contemplates the beauties of nature by the peaiceful Brandywine. Cavrat rntered." THE CARP FAMILY. If^l THE EOACH. Of course no angler will iisli for Roacti when better sport can be had ; but as they are only in season when all other fish refuse a bait, and thus act as a palliative to one who suffers from " Anglo-Mania," they deserve some notice. On any warm day from October to April, the angler may unite recreation with exercise, by taking his walking cane rod in his hand, and with a lump of tough dough or a few small wood-worms, have an hour's sport with these pretty little fish. If he has some juvenile friend with him, the pleasure is enhanced. I have taken scores of them during the winter, from seven to nine inches in length, at Gray's Ferry, also in Cooper's Creek, and at Red Bank below the city. They are generally found on the lee side of a pier stretching into a fresh-water creek or river ; and sometimes in the dock itself. When fishing for Roach I have frequently laid them on the snow or ice, when they would become frozen ; but on taking them home carefully, and putting them in hydrant water, would have the whole catch swimming about. There is some nicety required in taking Roach artistically, which is not attained by bunglers, and this fact adds to the pleasure of this kind of winter angling. The rod should be slight and from eight to ten feet long the line of fine silk ; bottom of fine gut ; hooks No. 12, Kirby, one of which should be seized to the extreme end, and three others to short pieces of gut, diverging at intervals 11 162 AMERICAN ANGLER BOOK of eight inches ; float, a neat quill ; the sinker should be just heavy enough to sink half or two-thirds of the float ; the bottom hook should touch or be near the bottom. The bait, if paste, should be rolled in small pellets, not larger than a No. 1 shot, between the finger and thumb ; it should merely cover the point and barb of the hook. When they bite freely, a small mite of the tough skin of a chicken's leg will obviate the necessity of baiting often. Worms ob- tained by peeling the bark from rotten logs, are generally used in winter. On a cold day a bite is almost imperceptible to a novice, but a little observation will soon teach him when to strike, which should be done by a quick but slight motion. Roach will not rise at a fly in winter, but I have caught them when casting for Trout on a pond in March. They are soft, and have a muddv taste. CHAPTER VII. THE HERRING FAMILY. Q;nalf.r Lady (raising the window). I say, man— thee with the wheel- Larrow — what does thee ask for shad ? Colored Fishvender. Hay dar ! (turning quickly round and touching the rim of his bellcrowned hat) From three fips, marm, to a quarter and a fip, 'cordin' to de size of 'em. — None of your grass-fed shad, marm, but ra'al fat corn-fed fellows. Sha-a-ad, 0 shad ! let go my knife and foxls., fresh shad! Whih ! here dey go! Old Times in Philadelphia. CHAPTER VM. THE HERRING FAMILY — CLUPEID^. Remarks on the Herring Family, from the " Iconographic Encyclo- paedia."— Their abundance in the waters of the United States. — Great numbers of them taken in the Potomac. — Herring-fishing with the artificial fly. The Shad. Alosa prcestatilis. — Its delicacy and value as food. — Mi- gratory habits. — Shad taken with the minnow. — Shad-roe as bait. Although tliis family of fishes is of little interest to the angler, as far as sporting qualities are concerned; its import- ance in an economic and commercial point of view is so great, that I am induced to copy at length an interesting article from the " Iconographic Encyclopaedia of Science, Literature, and Art," a work which has been translated from the German, and edited by our countryman. Professor Spencer F. Baird, of the Smithsonian Institute, and published by the Messrs. Appleton, of New York. " Clupeidje. The fishes of this family exhibit considerable analogies to the Salmonoids, differing, however, in the absence of an adipose dorsal. Both maxillaries and intermaxillaries are employed in forming the margin of the upper jaw, instead of the usual introduction of the latter alone. The body is well scaled, the scales sometimes very large. Bones of the mouth variously provided with teeth, these occurring some- times on the pectinated tongue. ''.The fishes of this family are among the most useful and indispensable to man. It includes the Anchovy, the Sardine, (165) IQQ AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. the Sprat, the various Herrings, and the Shad. The Anchovy, Engraulis encrasicholus, is a small fish, a few inches in length, distributed throughout Europe, and especially abundant in various parts of the Mediterranean. It is distinguished, as a genus, by the projecting and pointed upper jaw, and the long anal. The top of the hgad and back is blue ; irides, sides, and belly, silvery white. This fish was well known to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who prepared from it a sauce called gar urn, held in great favor. They are taken in countless numbers on the coast of Sardinia, 400,000 having been caught at a single haul. The fishing is highly successful by night, when the Anchovies are readily attracted by the glare of fire-pans. In preparing them for purposes of commerce, the head and viscera must be removed; the former being bitter, and for this reason called Encrasicholus by Aristotle. The Anchovies, after being washed clean, are placed with the belly upwards in vessels, a layer of fish alternating with one of salt, until the whole is full. Pressure must be exerted to drive out the oil as much as possible. A hole is left in the top of the vessel, which is then exposed to the sun. After fermentation has commenced, the hole is stopped up, and the vessel removed to a storehouse. The operation is not com- pleted until the following year. The Anchovy is taken from December to May. '•' The Clupeidse, with n on -projecting upper jaws, are divided into various genera, as Glupea, Sardinella, HarenguJa, Pellona, Meletta, Alosa, and others. A distinction was formerly made between a genus Alosa, characterized by an emargination of the upper jaw, and Glupea, with the border of the jaw con- tinuous or entire. This division, however, has been found to be inadequate to the wants of the present system. "Alosa vulgaris, a European species, is represented in America by one of much finer flavor, the A. sapidissima, or THE HERRING FAMILY. 1(37 common American Sliad. This well-known species com- mences its entrance into onr rivers, at periods varying from January to May, according to the latitude. It penetrates all the Atlantic streams, and when unobstructed by dams or other impediments, travels to a considerable distance from the mouth for the purpose of depositing its spawn. They are taken in great numbers, especially in Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, by various means, the most conspicuous of which are large seines and gill-nets. The price varies from five to fifty dollars per hundred, according to the abundance or size. As already remarked, various Herrings occur in immense numbers. Conspicuous among European species, in this respect, is the Sprat, Harengula sprattus ; but vastly more so the common Herring, Clupea harengus. The true abode of the immense hordes of Herring is not, even at this day, definitely ascertained, the fish being scarcely known, except in its wanderings. Some naturalists suppose it to come from the high north to deposit its spawn upon the shores of the North Sea ; others, again, consider the bottom of the North Sea to be its home, since it is first visible at the Shetland Islands in April. Here myriads of Herrings com- bine into armies many miles in length, and then pass on to the coasts of NorAvay, England, Germany, and the Nether- lands. From the main army, branches go off in various directions, supplying almost the whole coast of Europe, and possibly extend their migrations even to the northern coast of North America. They have never been seen to return to the north, and their migrations themselves occur neither at perfectly regular intervals nor in the same direction. The density of the columns also varies much in different parts of the army. In some seasons the numbers are countless, in others very limited ; at one time the individuals will be fat and large, at another very lean. By the end of August they 158 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK are no longer seen. The Dutch, who, since 1164, have pro- secuted the Herring- fishery witli tlie greatest success, some- times employ whole fleets of boats in the pursuit. At no very remote period, the number of boats annually leaving the Texel, under the protection of vessels of war, amounted to not less than eleven or twelve hundred. This trade was at its highest state of prosperity in the year 1618, at which time the number of boats employed was 3000, manned by fifty to sixt}^ thousand men. Since that time the trade has passed out of the hands of the Dutch, to a certain extent, and is carried on by many nations of northern Europe. Accord- ing to Black, the fishermen of Gothenburg alone, in his time, took upwards of 700,000,000 Herrings. More than 130,000 barrels have been exported from Bergen in Norway ; the amount consumed in the entire land exceeding double this number. At the present day, the largest quantities are taken on the shores of England. Recent investigations have ren- dered it probable that the Herring actually does live within a moderate distance of the localities where it is caught, coming in from the deep water for the sake of depositing its spawn. "A beautiful spectacle is seen when the Herring approach the shores ; the rays of the sun are reflected from myriads of silver scales, and above the army may be seen hovering hosts of gulls, terns, and other sea-birds. Behind and alongside are numerous rapacious fish, which, with seals, porpoises, and other marine animals, devour immense numbers. The water is filled with loose scales, rubbed ofl:' by their close proximity. On account of their vast numbers, these fish are very easily captured. This is done by means of nets, either on shore or at sea. Every Dutch smack has four smaller boats along with it, to carry fresh fish to the sea-ports, and for other pur- poses. They use nets of 500 or 600 fathoms in length, made THE HERRING FAMILY. 1^9 of coarse Persian silk, as being stronger than hemp. These are blackened by smoke, in order that the fish may not be frightened by the white thread. The nets are set in the evening, buoyed by empty barrels, and stretched by weights ; they thus rest at the surface of the sea. In the morning they are dra"\\Ti in by means of a windlass. The Herrings are sometimes attracted within reach of the nets by lanterns suspended at various intervals. But a faint idea can be formed of the actual number of these prolific fishes, which exists at one time in the ocean. When we remember, how- ever, that an annual consumption of over two thousand millions in Europe, not to mention the myriads devoured by fishes, birds, and various marine vertebrata, scarcely appears to affect their number, we may obtain an approximate con- ception of what that number must be to which the sum of those annually destroyed is in such small proportion. "As the Herrinsfs are so abundant, and the flesh at the same time so excellent, various modes have been adopted to preserve them for a certain length of time. Even at sea many are salted down, and sold in this state. This is called by the French saler en vrac. To keep them longer than is permitted by this method, two other ways are made use of : they are called white-salting and red-salting [saler en blanc and saurer). To white- salt Herring, they are gutted on being caught, and packed in barrels, with a thick brine poured over them. They are there retained, until it is convenient to give them a final packing. After the bustle of the fishing is over, the smacks or busses run in and discharge their cargoes, when the barrels are inspected, and the fish sorted under the in- spection of official authorities. They are then repacked with fresh lime and salt, and the particular quality marked on the barrel by the brand of an inspector. The red-salting is effected by allowing fat Herrings to lie for a considerable 170 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK time in the brine, then arranging them on hurdles, and placing them in ovens holding from ten to twelve thousand, for the purpose of being dried and smoked. The invention of pickling, as applied to Herring, has been ascribed to Wilhelm Bdekelson, or Beukelson, a fisherman of Yiervliet in the province of Zealand (about 1440) : he, however, only improved an art known before his time. The Emperor Charles Y. eat a herring over his grave, in thankful acknow- ledgment of his worth, and erected a m.onument to his honor in 1656. " Several species of Herring are caught in vast numbers on the coast and in the Atlantic rivers of the United States. The principal of these is the Glupea ehngata, the representa- tive of C. harengus. Besides Alosa sapidissima, or Shad, already mentioned, Alosa tyr annus and A. menhaden are of economical value, the former as an article of food, the latter for manure. Immense numbers are taken and spread on poor lands, to which they impart a fertility not inferior to that produced by guano." In the United States, Herrings are most abundant in the rivers that flow into the Chesapeake. In Maryland and Virginia they have even been used as manure, as the small species known as " Manhaden" and " Mossbunkers" have been farther north. In Virginia and North Carolina, the custom of visiting the "fishing-shores" annually for a supply of Herrings to salt down, still exists as an "institution," and the inhabitants for many miles back from the rivers that furnish these fish, come every spring and take away immense numbers of them. One of the greatest hauls with a seine that I ever heard of, was made by a fisherman on the Potomac near Dumfries, Va. With one sweep of his long net he encompassed a school which supplied all applicants. He sold them as long as they THE HERRING FAMILY. 171 would bring a price, and then, after farnishing them to tbo people of the immediate neighborhood without charge, lifted his net and allowed the remainder of the imprisoned fish to escape. The Herring will occasionally take a bait, and on a sun- shiny day in May, when the wind is from the south, will jump at a piece of red flannel tied to a hook. An old Scotch merchant of New York — a superannuated Trout-iisher — some years back was in the habit of fishing for them with a fly, from the decks of vessels in the East River. THE SHAD. Alosa prcestihilns : De Kay. The Shad is held in greater estimation by the epicure than by the angler. When properly in season, it is considered by many the most delicious fish that can be eaten. Fresh Salmon, or a Spanish Mackerel, or a Pompano may possibly equal it ; but who can forget the delicate flavor and juicy sweetness of a fresh Shad, broiled or "planked;" hot from the fire, opened, salted and peppered, and spread lightly with fresh May butter. There is one peculiarity of the Shad, which some of its advocates of our city claim for it, which is, that the longer it remains in fresh water up to the time of spaAvning, the fatter and more juicy it becomes. This is seemingly paradoxical, as the Shad is never found in fresh water with an}- food in its stomach or intestines. What then does it feed on ; or how does it grow fatter as it gets towards its place of spawning ? Is the theory, or more properly the hypothesis, that it "lives by suction," correct? That is, that it retains animalcula and 172 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK microscopic animals contained, in the water as it passes througli its gills in breathing, and appropriates such food to its sustenance. It is hardly worth while to go into a description of this fish, or giv,e a portrait of it ; for the outline of its form and general appearance is as familiar to us all, as the cut of the coat worn by ''one of our oldest and most respectable citizens," to which coat the Shad has given a name — may his tribe decrease not, nor his fatness and flavor diminish with each vernal return of his Shadship ! Yarrell says the Alice Shad, a European species, also improves the higher it ascends the rivers. It is admitted, however, by Englishmen, that the flesh of the Shad he men- tions, bears no comparison to ours ; nor does it attain more than one-third the size. Shad ascend all our rivers, from Georgia to Maine, in the spring, for the purpose of spawning, and at one time every tributary of the larger rivers, that had depth enough to float these deep-bodied fish, were annuall}^ visited by them, until mill-dams, tanneries, and other obstructions and nuisances prevented their return to their native waters and spawn beds. They entered the various creeks and . brooks that feed the Susquehanna, away up amongst the mountains, hundreds of miles from their marine feeding -grounds, where they had spent the winter in attaining that increase in size, which is only exceeded by the almost miraculous growth of the Salmon. It is hardly to be wondered at, that many of the old settlers on the streams in the interior, opposed the introduction of canals and slack- water navigation, when these improvements were at the expense of the annual visits of the Shad, which not only furnished them an article of luxurious diet until the month of June, but gave them a stock of smoked and salt fish for the winter. THE HERRING FAMILY. I73 Shad are taken at Savannah in the latter part of January. As the season advances, they enter the rivers successively along the coast towards the north, and are not found in the waters near Boston until about May. It was supposed at one time that Shad, as I have already remarked, were of southern birth, and that the same great migratory shoal gradually found its way along the coast. It has since been pretty clearly ascertained that this is not the case ; and it is now thought, with much show of reason, that they do not wander far from the mouths of the bays and rivers from which they migrated the preceding summer or autumn. In more than one respect there is a close analogy between the Shad and Salmon ; both are anadromous fishes, changing their habitat annually from salt to fresh water to spawn ; both present the same phenomenon of never having any food — in whatever process of digestion — in their stomachs, after reaching fresh water ; and both are not only fish of extremely rapid growth in salt water, but present the same peculiarity of proportions, that is, a remarkably small head and deep fleshy body. Frank Forester's idea that the Shad habitually takes a bait or an artificial fly is an erroneous one ; it is not a predatory fish, and it is to be feared that his impression, or hope of its being classed among game fish at some future day, will never be realized ; though there may have been rare instances in which it has been taken with a fly, and occasionally with a small silver minnow. I was once fortunate enough to hook three in succession, when fishing for Perch with a bright little minnow below Fairmount Dam, and secured two, the third was lost for want of a landing-net, for the mouth is extremely delicate. They have also been taken, though rarely, with shad-roe. A friend of the writer, a novice in 174 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK angling, some ten or twelve years ago went to Fairmouut, and in the course of a morning's fishing caught three with this bait. He has never been fishing since to my knowledge, and I have no doubt, he is thoroughly convinced that they can be taken in the same way at any time, and perhaps even in the water above the dam. I have had young Shad to leap into my boat in the twi- light, pursued, likely, b}^ Rockfish ; they were not as long- as the blade of a breakfast-knife and not much thicker. One of these I examined carefully ; but a slight handling of the silvery delicate thing destroyed the young life, which next season after its return from sea would have made a meal for two or three hungry men. After spawning, the Shad, in Salmon-fisher's parlance, is a kipper, and has lost nearly half its weight ; it then finds its way to the sea, and next season returns Avith its accustomed size and fatness. The roe of the Shad is a tempting bait to all fish, and is much used by Philadelphia fishermen ; great care is required in attaching it to the hook by means of the slight membrane that envelops it. Each ova as it is Avashed from the baited hook and floats off down the tide, is greedily swallowed by any fish, small or large, and he is toled along until he finds the " placer," when the " nugget" is swallowed at a gulph, if his mouth is large enough. Then if the fisher strikes at the particular time he hooks his prize ; but an inexpert person will lose a half dozen baits for every fish he catches, and will bedaub the but of his rod, hands, and coat sleeves, until he presents anything but the appearance of a well-dressed angler. CHAPTER VIII. CATFISH AKD EELS. " Cats and Eels, and sich as that." " One Safday night De niggas -went a huntin', De dogs dey run de Coon, De Coon he run de Wolver, De Wolver run de Stiff-leg, De Stiff-leg run de Devil, Dey run him up de hill, But dey cotch him on de level. •' Sat'day night come arter, De niggas went a-fishin', Dey call for Billy Carter, 'Case he want to go a-caUin', Dey filled de jug an' started For de Pocomoka river. Chicken-guts wus better bait, Dey dug a gourd o' wurrims." F)-om a song of the " Peasantry of the South'' — banjo accompaniment omitted. CHAPTER VIII. CATFISH AND EELS. Catfish, Siluridce. — Extract from Iconographic Encyclopaedia. Catfish of the Atlantic States and Western waters. Eels. — Observations on the Pefromi/zoniidce (Lamprey Eels), on the Murcenidce (Common Eels), and on the Gymnotid.oe (Electric Eels). The Common Eel. Anguilla indguris. — Fishing for Eels.— Migratory habits. — Young Eels as bait. — Eels not hermaphrodites. Catfish and Eels are so closely associated in the minds of anglers, that I have thought it proper to include them in the same chapter. In treating of them I give a brief but comprehensive article from the Iconographic Encyclopagdia on the Siluridse, as well as an account of the different fami- lies of anguilliform fishes known as Eels, from the same work. " Salurid^. — Fishes of this family have the skin either naked, and covered with a slimy secretion, or provided with osseous plates of various number and shape. The head is usually depressed, and provided with a variable number of barbels. In most, there is a second and adipose dorsal, some- times confluent with the caudal. The first rays of the dorsal and pectoral fins are generally enlarged into strong spines ; and the pectoral spine is capable of being inflexibly fixed, by peculiar mechanism, in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the body. The edge of the mouth is formed by the inter- 12 (1"^) 17S AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. maxillaries suspended from the sides of tlie etlimoid, which enters into the outline of the mouth, forming the superior median portion. The suboperculum is absent in the whole family. " Species of this polymorphous family are found distributed throughout the globe. In Europe, however, there is found but one species, the Silurus glanis, or Sheat Fish. This species, interesting from the fact of its being the largest fresh- water fish in Europe, the Sturgeons excepted, is most abund- ant in Central Europe, its existence in England being hypo- thetical. The weight has been known to exceed 100 lbs., in this respect equalling some of the American Siluridse. It differs from the North American species in the absence of a posterior adipose dorsal, in the very small true dorsal, and in the very long anal. Other species of this restricted genus, Silurus, are found in various parts of Asia, and perhaps Africa, but not in America. The American forms are highly varied, those of the northern continent, however, being quite uniform in structure. The two most conspicuous fresh-water genera are Pimelodus and Noturus ; the former with a distinct adipose dorsal, the latter with this dorsal confluent with the caudal. Numerous species of Pimelodus (Catfish, Horned- Pout, Bull- Head) occur in the various waters of North America, some of which acquire a large size. One species, from the Mississippi, has been known to weigh over 100 lbs. The flesh of many species is highly prized, owing to its sweetness and freedom from bones. The genus Noturus, known provincially as Stone Catfish, embraces but few species, found in the Atlantic streams south of New York, and in those of the Mississippi valley. They will probably be dis- covered in the eastern rivers (in the Hudson at least), when their ichthyology has been more fully studied. Marine forms CATFISH AND EELS. ^79 are met with in Galeichthys, Arius, and Bagrtcs, the former characterized by the high dorsal and pectorals. '' South America exhibits some Siluroids of especial inte- rest. Conspicuous among these are Arges cyclopum, or Pime- lodus cyclopum of Humboldt, and Brontes prenadilla, which inhabit the highest regions in which fish are known to live. They are found in Quito, at elevations of more than 16,000 feet above the level of the sea, living in the streams running down the sides of Cotopaxi and Tunguragua. The most interesting fact in the history of these fishes is, that they are frequently ejected from the craters of the above-mentioned volcanoes, in immense numbers ; the supply being probably derived from the subterranean lakes in the body of the mountains. Our space will not permit us to mention any other members of this interesting family, excepting the Ma- lapterus electricus, the Siluriis electricus of older authors. This species is characterized generically by the absence of the first dorsal, the adipose dorsal alone existing, as also by the possession of an electric a^pparatus or battery, somewhat intermediate in character between those of Qymnotus and Torpedo, although of much finer texture. The whole body beneath the integuments is enclosed by the apparatus in two layers of great compactness, and at first sight suggesting a deposit of fat. A dense fascia separates the battery from the muscular system. The cells, formed by transverse and longi- tudinal fibrous partitions, are rhombic in shape, and exceed- ingly minute. The nerves of the outer organ come from branches of the fifth pair of nerves, the inner organ is sup- plied by the intercostal nerves. The direction of the current is probably from the head to the tail ; the cephalic extremity being positive, and the caudal negative." 180 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. CATFISH OF THE ATLANTIC AND WESTERN WATERS. No artist, not even Landseer himself, could give a correct picture of this familiar old friend. A profile does not convey a correct idea, and a perspective view won't do ; so I give it up in despair, believing that photography would even fail in its likeness. It is not necessary to tell the angler that there are many species of Catfish in this latitude. There is the Catfish of our sluices, meadow-ditches, and ponds. The less ugly White Catfish, of rare excellence for the pan, which comes up our rivers in April, stays all summer, and goes back to brackish or salt water in winter. And there is the great " Sockdologer" of the Mississippi and its tributaries, with a mouth large enough for a little boy to get his head into, and a throat big- enough to thrust his leg down. Old Jack, a ''short-haired brother" of the angle, down in Mississippi, has declared to me he has seen one " as long as a cotton bale." I have, myself, seen one carried through the streets of New Orleans, tied by the gills to a fence rail, with a negro man supporting each end, and the tail of the fish touching the ground. I have heard of them weighing one hundred and twenty pounds ; but I forbear, lest the reader should think I exalt this fish above measure. At the cabarets along the levee at New Orleans, I have heard the music of the frying-pan, as steaks of these " whoppers" were cooking, and have seen the laborers eat them with an appetite, but never had the curiosity to taste of them. CATFISH AND EELS. 181 There are two varieties of these monsters in the Ohio and Mississippi: the "Mud Cat," with a broad flat head, and the " Channel Cat," The latter is far more active and stronger than the former. In my boyhood, I frequently went Catfishing with a rustic angler, whom I shall never forget. After breakfast, one of the servants would appear with a gourdfull of worms, and we would proceed to his favorite pool, and "set our poles," sticking the buts, which were sharpened, into the muddy bank, and resting them on forked sticks. Ponto, an old bob- tail pointer, would be one of the party, and appeared to enjoy the sport as much as his master ; at the slightest tremor of the cork, he would become restless ; when it disappeared he would come to a stand ; and when the fish was landed, he would seize it or keep it away from the water with as much assiduity as he would look for a wounded partridge. " Aunt Bett," the cook, one day docked Font's tail with a cleaver, for some depredation, as he was retreating from the kitchen ; and it is said, the neighbors could always tell when " Uncle Tom" had been at his favorite fishing-hole, by the impression that Font's tail left in the mud, as he sat on his hurdles. As an expedient, on one occasion, when we forgot the gourd of worms, and were waiting while the boy had gone back for it, we shot a squirrel, and a small bait of its entrails appeared perfectly acceptable to our friends of the muddy water. When the negroes went "a catting" at night, they not unfreqaently supplied themselves with chickens' entrails, as well as worms, averring that the former took the largest Cat- fish. In regard to the question whether any fish manifest a care for their young after the latter are hatched from the spawn, I am informed by a brother angler — the same who writes in ]^82 A M E R T 0 A N A N G L E ir S BOOK. defence of the Chub, and on whose statement I can rely with entire confidence — that in his younger days, when going to a large mill-pond to bathe, he was struck with the move- ments of a Catfish some ten to twelve inches long, which was swimming near the bank, in water about twelve or fifteen inches deep, making circuits round and round a mass of dark specks, which were lying huddled together in a space about a foot in diameter. Upon lying down on the bank and parting the sedge and long grass which overhung the water, he dis- covered that the dark specks were young Catfish, about one-half to three-fourths of an inch in length, while the maternal anxiety manifested by the parent fish was ex- plained by his observing at a short distance a number of hungry Sunfish, who were hovering round, and with greedy eyes watching their chance to make a dash at the young innocents. Whenever any of the heedless brood would show an inclination to swim away from the flock, the old one would head them off and drive them back to the fold, and protecting them from the maw of the spoilers so long as my friend watched this curious exhibition of an instinct which till then he had supposed all kinds of fish to be wholly devoid of It is hardly necessary to describe the tackle and manner of taking the Catfish: either or both must be suited to the water and size of the fish. The smaller species are favorite pan-fish in the Atlantic States, from Delaware to Georgia. The larger, particularly the White forked-tail Catfish of tide-water, makes an excellent stew. They should not be skinned, nor the heads taken off; but well scraped and washed, then seasoned with onions and other pot-herbs, and smoked bacon-flitch : a little rich milk should be poured in the stew before it is taken off the fire. CATFISH AND EELS. 183 EELS. Observations from the '^Iconographic Encyclopaedia.'' " Petromyzontid^. This family, the last of the Der- mopteri, is also without lateral fins : a continuous median nn is formed by the coalescence of the dorsal, caudal, and anal. Respiration is generally performed by means of fixed- gills, the lateral openings to which are seven in number on each side. A single nostril is placed on the top of the head. The principal forms belong to the genera Petromyzon or true Lamprey Eel, and Ammocsetes. or Sand Lamprey. The former have a circular mouth provided with numerous teeth, and fringed with cili« to assist the animal in attaching itself to the bodies of its prey. The mouth is a true sucker, adhesion being effected by atmospheric pressure. Fishes of various kinds are not unfrequently caught bearing the bloody circular scar produced by the bite of the Lamprey, and quite often the Lamprey itself. The Catfish, or Pimehdii.s, appears to be especially liable to such attacks. The Lampreys attain to great size, and are highly prized by some nations. The love borne them by the ancient Romans is a matter of classical history, and at the present day they are the favorite food of epicures. "The Mursenidse or Eels, with the normal structure of the gill apertures, yet have them very small and capable of being completely closed. The body is serpentiform, and although provided with scales, these are scarcely ap- parent, being embedded in a thick mucous skin. The air- bladder is polymorphous, and the intestines without coeca. The Eels, in their different species, are inhabitants of both 184 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. fresh and salt waters; those living in the former belong- ing generally to the restricted genus AnguiUa. Species of Anguilla occur in greater or less number throughout the United StateS; being, however, very rare in many if not most of the waters of the Mississippi basin. Popular opinion assigns to these species a viviparous reproduction, owing to the apparent absence of individuals containing eggs. The ova are yet, probably, present in a due proportion of the supposed males, escaping observation by their diminutive size. The Eel hardly yields to any other fish in the power of sustaining a deprivation of its proper element for a con- siderable length of time. To transport these animals over a considerable space, all that is necessary is to pack them in damp grass or some similar substance. They even leave the water spontaneously at night in search of food, or of a body of water better suited to their convenience than the one in which thev may happen to be placed. Eels are said to be very susceptible to magnetic or galvanic influence : the sim- ple contact of a knife being sufficient to paralyze them. When a magnet is presented to the dish in which the living- animal may happen to be, violent contortions, a painful gasping after breath, and other signs of inconvenience, are reported to be exhibited. •'The Gymnotidse, highly interesting on account of their electrical properties, are characterized by the anterior position of the anus, the entire absence of dorsal fin, the extent of the anal, and the position of the gill -opening. The best known species, Gymiiotus electricus or Electric Eel, is a native of the tropical portions of South America. It attains to a great size, being sometimes over six feet in length, and almost a full load for a strong man to carry. The electric oi- galvanic apparatus consists of four longitudinal bundles, disposed in two pairs, one larger above, and a smaller below, against the CATFISH AND EELS. 185 base of the anal fin. The fasciculi are divided by longitudi- nal partitions into hexagonal prisms, and transverse divisions separate these into small cells. The cells are filled with a gelatinous matter, and the whole apparatus is abundantly supplied with nerves from the spinal marrow. In the Tor- pedo, these nerves come directly from the brain. " The amount of electricity furnished by the Gymnotus is enormous. Faraday made a calculation in regard to a speci- men of ordinary size examined by him, that a single medium discharge was equal to that from a battery of 3500 square inches charged to its maximum. It need not then be a matter of surprise that the Gymnotus is capable of killing a horse by repeated discharges ; which it does by applying its whole length along the belly of the animal when in the water. The method of capturing the Grymnotus made use of by the South American Indians, consists in driving a number of horses and other cattle into the muddy pools in which the Electric Eels abound. Roused from their retreats in the mud, the Gymnoti emerge into the water, and gliding in among the animals, give to them violent shocks. A succession of discharges results in weakening the Eels to such a degree, as to make it a matter of little danger or difliculty to capture them. The voltaic pile, formed by the electric apparatus of the Gymnotus, is much like that of the Torpedo ; the column being longitudinal, however, in the natural position of the animal, instead of vertical. The anterior or cephalic extrem- ity is positive ; the caudal negative ; and the animal is capable of discharging any portion of its column. The sub- stance occupying the cells is a dense albuminous liquid, with a small amount of common salt. Each cell is separate and independent, answering to the cell of the galvanic battery. 186 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK THE COMMON EEL. Anguilla communis. I cannot say that Mr. Billy Allen, who kept a tavern at Culpepper Court House, ^Virginia, many years ago, had a very extensive knowledge of the natural sciences ; but he sagely remarked on one occasion, that a Mink was " a great incendiary to a hen-house!" Quoting the aforesaid authority, I might pronounce the Eel a great incendiary to a fishing-line. Knots and slime ! how often he has brought, the youthful angler to grief! It is astonishing how many knots a nimble little Eel, of a half yard long, can tie in a boy's line, from the time he is landed, until he is taken off the hook, or until his head is cut off. There are hard knots and bow knots, sin2:le knots and double knots, all cemented with the pervading slime. The last resort of the little angler is, to do as Alexander the Great did with the Gordian Knot ; and take out his jack- knife and cut his line ; thus reducing the many knots to one. Albeit the Eel is a " slippery fellow,^'' there are several facts in its natural history which are interesting. One is, that it spawns in salt or brackish water, and migrates to fresh water ; the very reverse of Shad, Herring, and Salmon. Young Eels are found all along shore in fresh tidewater streams, in this latitude, in April or May, by turning over a stone, when they shoot out and seek another hiding-place for the time ; at that season of the year they are not larger than a darning-needle and quite transparent, showing their vital CATFISH AND EELS. I37 organs plainly. Thej collect at the head of tidewaters in great numbers, endeavoring to surmount falls or rapids, and many perish in the attempt or are devoured by fish. They may be taken, in such places, with a small scoop-net made of sea-grass skirting, or other open fabric, and used with oreat effect as bait for Perch and small Eockfish. o I have seen no less than a barrel of these silvery, trans- parent little animals congregated in a pool at low tide, below the western angle of the dam at Fairmount, waiting to renew their efforts to get over the fall at high water ; and any little boy will go in and dip up a quart of them for the asking, or for a half dime. In the fall they descend our rivers and are taken in weirs, traps, and eel-pots in immense numbers ; in the Susquehanna a single weir sometimes produces two barrels of Eels in a night. They are speared at night in the upper Delaware ; the reflection from the torch giving them a wliite, glaring appearance. I used to bob for them from a boat, when a boy. Imagine three or four urchins, barefooted, with trousers rolled up to their knees, and occasionally a cold slimy Eel of larger size than common, gliding over their feet or around their ankles. There was some screaming and laughing on such occasions, which did not accord with the general idea of a fishing-party ; and there was also some scraping of dry slime from jackets and trousers next morning. Eels are speared in winter, on the salt flats along our coast, at low water ; the harpooner judges by certain indications what hole to drive his implement into, without seeing them, and draws it out with the impaled Eels writhing and squirming. These fish are not viviparous or hermaphrodites, as some suppose, but the spawn is impregnated by the male after 188 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. ejection, as is the case with other oviparous fishes. They spawn in salt or brackish water, and the vernal migration to fresh-water streams commences at an early period of their existence. The autumnal journey towards the sea begins in September in this latitude. It would appear without reflection that it is strange that there are no Eels in the Mississippi and its thousands of miles of tributaries, at least I have never seen one there ; but if we look at the immense distance upward and down- ward, and the time it would occupy, it would seem that instinct or some wise law of Providence annuls the rule which obtains in the tidal streams of the Atlantic States. Although a prejudice exists against Eels, on account of their reptilian form, they are excellent eating. Sometimes, when taken in a muddy creek or mill-pond, they are purified by putting them in a box with holes bored in it, in a spring branch, when they rid themselves of any strong taste they may have acquired in their former home. CHAPTER IX. THE SALMON FAMILY. " Abused mortals, did you know Where joy, heart's ease^aiid comforts grow, You'd scorn proud towers, And seek them in these bowers ; "Where winds sometimes our woods perhaps may shake, But blustering care could never tempest make, Nor murmurs e'er come nigh us. Saving of fountains that glide by us. "Blest silent groves, oh may you be For ever mirth's best nursery ! May pure contents For ever pitch their tents Upon these downs, these meads, these rocks, these mountains, And peace still slumber by these purling fountains. Which we may every year Meet when we come a-fishing here.'' Walton. CHAPTER IX. THE SALMON FAMILY. — SALMONID^. Remarks on the Salmonid^, The Brook Trout. — Scientific description. — Habits and manner of breed- ing.— Growth. — Difi'erence in size between Trout of still waters and those of brisk streams. — EjQfect of light and shade, and bright or dark water, on the color of Trout. — Errors as regards new species. — Food of the Trout. — Its greediness. — Its geographical range. — Former abund- ance and causes of decrease. — Size of Trout in the regions of Lake Superior and State of Maine. — Size in the preserved waters of England, and size the angler is restricted to in rented waters. Thje Salmon. — Former abundance in the rivers of New York and the Eitstern States. — Great numbers in California, Oregon, and British Possessions. — Decline of the Salmon- fisheries in British Provinces. — Scientific description. — Natural process of propagation, — Their growth. — Parr, Smolt and Grilse. — Mature Salmon. — Size of Salmon. — Instinct. — Restocking depleted rivers, and introducing Salmon into new waters. — Their migration from sea to fresh rivers, and gradual preparation for their change of habitat. — Salmon-leaps. — Food of Salmon at sea. The Canadian Trout, or Sea Trout. Salmo Canadensis. — Error in referring it to the species Salmo trutta of Europe ; their dissimilarity. — Its affinity to Salmo fontinalis (Brook Trout). — Sea-Trout fishing in the Tabbisintac. — Mr. Perley's and Dr. Adamson's account of Sea-Trout fishing. — Their abundance in the rivers falling into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and annoyance to Salmon-fishers. The Schoodic Trout, or Dwarf Salmon of the St. Croix. Salmo Gloveri. — Account of three summers fishing in the Schoodic Lakes. The Great Lake Trout. Salmo namaycush. — Manner of taking them. The Lesser Lake Trout. Salmo Adirondakus. — Trolling for Lake Trout. Back's Grayling. Thymallus signifer.—Br. Richardson's remarks on the Grayling. (191) ]^92 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. The Smelt. Osmerus viridiscens. — Their great numbers along the north- ern part of our coast. — Smelt in the Schuylkill. — Quantity sent south from Boston. — Smelt used as a fertilizer. The Capelin. MaUotus villosus. The Whitefish. Coregonus albus. Trout Bait-fishing. The family of Salmonidw embraces many genera, of whicli the genus Sahno furnislies nearly all the species that contri- bute to the sport of the angler, or that may properly be called game fish. Of the genus Salmo, the following species are herein described : — The Brook Trout, or Speckled Trout. Salmo fontinalis. The Salmon. Salmo salar. The Canadian Trout. Salmo Canadensis. Known as the Sea Trout. The Schoodic Trout. Salmo Glover i. Of the St. Croix River. The Grreat Lake Trout. Salmo namaycush. The Lesser Lake Trout. Salmo Adirondakus. There are other species than these, described by ichthyolo- gists as being found in the rivers and lakes of that vast extent of country on our north, known as the British Possessions, and in the rivers on the Pacific coast ; but as the object of this work is to interest the angler rather than the naturalist, I mention only those that are accessible and furnish sport to the brethren of the rod. Of the genus Thymallus, to which the Grrayling of England belongs, we have only two species, as far as has been ascer- tained. I only give an account of one, Thymallus signifer, the Standard Bearer, Back's Grayling. Of the genus Osmerus, we have only one acknowledged species in this country, 0. viridiscens, the Smelt. Of the genus Coregonus, we have ten species described by T H E S A L M 0 N P A M I L Y . ^93 iciithjologists, and perhaps several more of which no descrip- tion has yet been given. As none of this genus are sporting jish, I have only referred to G. allms, the large Whitefish. Of the genus Mallotus, we have only one species, M. villosus, the Capelin or Sparling, which is found on our north-east coast. One of the characteristic marks, by which the most careless observer can distinguish any species of Salmonidae, is the second dorsal fin, which is always adipose, a mere carti- lage, wanting in the usual fin-rays. Any fish that one meets with having it, except a Catfish, may safely be set down as one of the Salmon Family. The Salmonidse delight in cold waters, and their geo- graphical range, whether inland or on the sea-coast, seldom extends below the thirty-eighth parallel. Their value as an article of food, and importance in a commercial point of view, can hardly be appreciated, unless one enters into an investi- oration of all the statistical information on record. 13 194 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK BEOOK TROUT. SPECKLED TROUT. Salmo fontinalis : Mitchil. Form elliptical, elongated. Color, olive on the back, shad- ing gradually lighter to the lateral line ; sides still lighter, with roseate pearly reflections ; belly white and rose-tinted, sometimes shaded with yellow, and occasionally a deep orange. The markings of this fish are beautiful ; the sides are covered with yellowish spots of metallic lustre interspersed above and below the lateral line with smaller spots of bright vermilion ; the back is vermiculated, that is, marked with dark tracings of irregular form, many of which run into each other. The dorsal fin has five or six lines of dark spots ; the pectorals are olive, with the exception of the two anterior rays, which are black and much stouter than the others ; the anterior ray of the ventrals and anal is white, the next black, and the re- maining rays a deep orange ; the caudal is slightly concave, with dusky markings on the upper border of the rays. The head is rather more than one-fifth the length of the body, exclusive of caudal ; breadth one-fourth. There are ten branchial rays : the first dorsal fin has eleven rays ; the second dorsal being adipose is without rays ; the pectorals have twelve rays ; the ventrals eight ; anal nine ; caudal nineteen. No fish aff'ords as much sport to the angler as the Brook Trout ; whether he is fished for by the country urchin, who ties his knotted horsehair-line to his alder-pole, and "snakes THE SALMON FAMILY. 195 out" the speckled fellows by the caving-bank of the meadow brook, and from under the overhanging branches of the wooded stream ; or by the scientific angler, who delivers his flies attached to his nine-foot leader — straight out and lightly — from his well-balanced rod, and kills his fish artistically. He is as game as a bantam cock, and with a pliant rod and fine tackle, a twelve-incher gives as much sport as most other fish of four times his size, on a stout rod and coarse tackle. But let us begin with a slight glance at his habits and natural history ; his unnatural death we will speak of afterwards; though the angler may think it more natural that the Trout should die by his hands, than in any other way. Towards the end of August, if you loiter along a Trout- stream, and look into a pool with smooth gliding current, where a spring branch enters ; or wander along the banks of some clear, cool tributary of the main brook, you may find a dozen Trout congregated — sometimes a half dozen or a single pair — and if not disturbed by a freshet, caught by the angler, or snared by the villanous poacher, with his wire-loop, they will remain there until October or November, when the female will cast her spawn — some say in a furrow, made longitudinally or diagonally in the bed of the stream, by rooting with her nose ; others say, more after the manner of broadcast. Whichever it be, the male fish follows imme- diately, ejecting his milt over it. The parents of the future progeny then, as a usual thing, take their course down stream to some deep pool, and there remain in winter quarters, recovering strength and flesh until the ensuing spring, when they move up stream with every rise of water, always on the lookout for something to eat, and ever eager to take a bait ( r rise at a fly, and reproducing in autumn as before. After fecundation the ova assumes a somewhat brownish 196 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BO 0 K . transparent hue, each egg showing in its centre a small dark spot, which is the embryo of the future fish. The young fish are hatched out in two or three months, and appear somewhat larger than the little wriggle-tails in a barrel of stale rain- water. They have large prominent eyes and little pot-bellies, ichthyologically termed "umbilical bladders," in which is stored the sustenance left from the egg, and which lasts three or four weeks, or until they commence seeking their own food. By this time they have grown to an inch and a half long ; they then seek the shallows and gentle margins of the brook, or smaller rills, and commence feeding on minute aquatic insects and the larva of flies. It is surprising how small a quantity of running water will sustain a school of young Trout. I have seen a half dozen in a track left by a horse's foot, in a mossy spring branch. Trout have the same dusky patches or finger-marks, that all their congeners have, when young. As far as I have observed, they rarely attain a size beyond four or five inches during the first summer in our mountain streams. They seldom venture into the larger waters until the second summer, when they are the little fingerlings that jump at one's droppers, as he is killing their progenitor on the stretcher-fly. At our noonings, when we have emptied our creels to select the larger fish for a roast, or a bake under the ashes, I have placed the whole catch in a row, the smallest at one end, increasing in size to the largest at the other end, and en- deavored to theorize as to their ages, or separate the year- lings from the two year old, and those of three from those of four years; but have never been able to draw a line separating, with any degree of certainty, the fish of a year from those of two, or those of two from those of three years, and so on to the largest. No general rule as to their growth could be laid down, unless all the fish of one year had been hatched THE SALMON FAMILY. 19' out at the same time, and enjoyed the same advantages of feed and range of water, up to the time of being caught. Still, in a brisk stream, I have generally considered a Trout of seven inches as being in its second summer ; one of nine or ten in its third summer ; a fish of twelve or thirteen in its fourth ; and so on. The Trout found in the deep still waters of the state of New York, though a variety of this species, are a third, or one-half larger at the same age, than the fish of our clear rapid streams ; and as the rivers and lakelets there are less fished than the tributaries of the Delaware, Hudson, and Susquehanna, the Trout have a chance of growing older, and consequently larger. From my own observation, the average size of the adult fish in northern New York is at least double that of the fish taken in the streams flowing into the rivers named above. Some years ago, I had an afternoon's fishing in Hamilton County, when the catch was forty-five pounds. The fish averaged foiirteen inches in length, and not less than a pound in weight. A friend on whose word I can rely, tells me he has taken three Trout of two pounds each, at a single cast, in the Kaquette River, and repeated it several times in succes- sion ; and that he took off his drop-flies, to prevent a surfeit of sport, or too much strain on his light rod. I have achieved something in the way of taking large Trout in Hamilton County, but after a man has satisfied the sentiment of camping out, and been bitten to his heart's content by mosquitoes and punkies, he prefers sleeping on a good straw bed, and enjoying the comforts of civilization, where although the fish are smaller, the streams are livelier and clearer, and it requires finer tackle and greater skill to take them. There is a specific difference between our Brook Trout and 198 A M E R I C A N A N G L E K ' S B 0 0 K the Common Trout {Salmo fario) of Grreat Britain. The Brook Trout when taken in its. natural habitat (the clear rapid mountain stream), is a more symmetrical fish ; its spots more brilliant ; its sides of a brighter silvery hue ; its flesh of finer flavor, though of lighter color ; and its average size much smaller. The Trout of Hamilton and Franklin Counties, Xew York, are, as a general rule, not inferior in size to the Trout of England ; their average is larger than those of the ponds of Long Island, and about equal to those taken below the ponds, where the fish have access to salt water. I cannot agree Avith Frank Forester, that the Trout of Long Island are superior to those of our inland brooks and rivers ; on the contrary, I think the pond Trout of Long Island much inferior in delicacy and flavor, though I admit, that those which have the run of both fresh and salt water are at least equal to those taken in mountain streams. Fish inhabiting still, sluggish waters, dams, and lakelets, are of stouter proportions than those of rapid, tumbling streams. The difference is remarked by anglers who have fished the waters of Hamilton County; those of the lakes being deep of body and proportionately short, while those taken in the outlets are longer, and afford more sport when hooked. In some of the ponds of Long Island they are extremely stout ; a Trout of twelve inches weighing a pound, which is four ounces more than one of the same length taken in a mountain stream would weigh. I would here say, from personal knowledge of the fish, that the " Silver Trout" mentioned by Frank Forester as being taken in Green's Creek, on Long Island, is in every respect the same as those of the neighboring ponds. The lighter and more pearly hue is to be attributed entirely to the bright open creek flowing through a meadow, unshaded by trees, and communicating directly with the salt water of the bay. THE SALMON FAMILY. ^^99 All observing anglers have noticed the effect of water and light on the color of Trout ; those taken in streams discolored from having their fountains in swamps, or flowing through boggy grounds where hemlock and juniper trees grow, are invariably dark, their spots less brilliant, and their sides and bellies frequently blurred ; while those of bright streams flowing through open meadows or cultivated fields, are as remarkable for the deep vermilion of their spots, their light color, and delicate shading. Anglers who have fished the Tobyhanna and Broadhead's Creek, in Pennsylvania, will remember the color of the fish of these two streams ; the former is boggy, much shaded, and the water almost the color of brandy ; while the latter is clear, open, bright, and rapid. The Trout of the former are almost black, while those of the latter are light of color, and brilliant. I have seen anglers who could identify the Trout belonging to the different streams in the vicinity, when one turned out his catch from the creel. Mr. Brown, in his " American Angler's Gruide," says : " The Silver Trout or Common Trout is found in almost all of our clear, swift-running northern streams, and weighs from one to fifteen pounds. A splendid specimen of this species of Trout is found in Bashe's Kill, Sullivan County, New York." Mr. Brown was imposed on by the person on whose authority he makes this statement, for they are seldom if ever taken in Sullivan County above the weight of four pounds. Nor does an average catch in that or the adjoining counties exceed four or five ounces ; nor is there any species called the ''Silver Trout." The Black Trout also, which he describes as ^' found in muddy, sluggish streams with clay bottoms, in the roughest and wildest part of our country," is also nothing more nor less than our ordinary Brook. Trout {Sahno fontinalis), which, as already stated, be- 200 AMERICAN ANGLER'S ROOK comes dark ft-om inhabiting water discolored by vegetable infusion. Frank Forester's strictures on this disposition to claim a difference of species, on account of local or accidental causes producing a difference in size, condition, or color, are entirely appropriate, and he had good reasons for saying that the "Sea Trout" claimed by Mr. Smith of Massachusetts as a new species, was none other than a well-fed Brook Trout that had access to salt water, where its greater variety and abundance of food produced a brighter hne and deeper- colored flesh. Mr. Brown, after quoting Mr. Smith's observations on the fish just referred to, says: "The last-mentioned species, Le- pomis salmonea, is common in our Southern rivers, and with many Southerners goes under the name of Trout Bass, or Brown Bass." Mr. Brown here takes an error of Mr. Smith as a basis, and piles an error of his own, or that of his informer, on top of it, making " confusion worse confounded." Let me assure the reader that the so-called " Southern Trout" is not a Trout, nor has it the least generic affinity to it ; it is a fresh- water Bass, Grystes salmoides, and belongs to the Perch family ; and let me further say that there are no Trout, or any species of the Salmon family, found south of Virginia. Food of Trout. — Flies, beetles, bugs, caterpillars, grass- hoppers, in fact all manner of insects that are so unlucky as to touch the surface of the water, are arrested by the vigilant Trout ; and little stonefish, minnows, and shiners are chased and devoured by them at night, in shoal water. I once opened a Trout of eleven inches, which appeared rather stout, and took from its pouch eight small shiners, which equalled nearly a fourth of its own weight. At another time, in a dark, still water, I took a Trout of twelve inches, which had nearly swallowed a water-lizard of six inches, the head of the THE SALMON FAMILY. 201 victim protruding from the mouth of the fish ; choked as he was with the lizard, he seized my fly. The little worm hatched from the egg of the fly (which a few days before, as she dapped on the surface of the water, she deposited at the risk of her life), is devoured with its little house of sand, in which, by the aid of its gluten, it encases itself. Hence the quantity of sand found in a Trout's stomach, in the early months of fly-fishing. The grasshopper is a good big mouth- ful ; and sometimes as the angler grasps his prize, to disen- gage the hook, he feels them crush like rumpled paper, as if wings and legs were cracking beneath his fingers. In watching the glassy surface of pools in the still of the evening, we see Trout dimpling the water with diverging circles, as they rise and suck in the little midge, or gray gnat, too small to be seen in the distance by the human eye. In every still water, or eddy, or hurrying rift, or under the shelving edges of stones, he searches for larva, diligent in earning his living "by the small;" or from his lair under ledge of rock or overhanging bank, he watches for larger prey as it floats past, seizing it with unerring and lightning- like rapidity. Concerning the disposition of Trout to rise at a fly after having previously escaped from the angler with a hook fastened in its mouth, I would say that some years ago I took a Trout of ten inches out of a tumbling little hole under some alder-bushes, and to my surprise found what I thought to be a bristle sticking out of its mouth. On pulling hard on it, I drew the stomach of the fish up into its throat, and found the supposec" bristle to be a stout piece of silk- worm gut, four or five inches long, and a pretty ginger hackle on the end of it. I disengaged it, and on showing it to my fishing companion, he recognised it as his own drop-fly which a fish had broken from his leader, in the hole I 202 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. described to him, three or four days before. He supposed the fish to have been at least tAvelve inches in length, when he lost his dropper. Only last summer a young fly-fisher of my acquaintance caught a Trout with a hook in his mouth, to which was fastened a gut-leader two feet long, and three good-sized shot on it, and yet the fish rose greedily at his red hackle. On returning to the house and showing the leader, it was claimed by a bait-fisherman, who had lost it the day before. Brook Trout were once abundant in all the clear, rapid streams on the eastern side of the Alleghanies, from the Arctic regions to the thirty-eighth parallel, and even below it in the mountains of Virginia ; in the upper tributaries of the Ohio, as well as in many of the northern streams flowing into the Mississippi ; also in the smaller rivers which flow into the great chain of lakes from the north, and in many of those coming in from the south. They are taken fre- quently along the shores of Lake Superior, and in the more southern lakes, where creeks and brooks of a lower tem- perature than the lake itself fall in, and in the rapids at the great outlet of Lake Superior, known as Sault Ste. Marie. Most of the beautiful lakelets of New York, Maine, New Hampshire, and the Canadas, abound in Brook Trout of large size. They are found also in many of the streams that flow east- ward and southward from the Eocky Mountains ; in the great basin between the latter range of mountains and the Sierra Nevada ; and are numerous in the waters of the whole Pacific coast, as far down as the Bay of San Francisco, though per- haps with some distinction in variety, and, it may be, in species also. In the rivers and brooks of the more settled part of the country, Trout have decreased both in numbers and size. THE SALMON FAMILY. 203 This is to be attributed to many causes ; to the clearing up of forests, exposing the surface of the ground to the sun, which has dried up the sources of sylvan brooks, or increased their temperature, and consequently that of the larger waters which they feed, rendering them less suitable for Trout, and promoting the introduction and increase of coarser families of fish. Streams which once had few fish besides Trout in them, now abound with Chub and other inferior fish. The saw- mill, with its high dam obstructing the passage of fish, and its sawdust filling the pools below ; the tannery, with its leached bark, and the discharge of lime mixed with impure animal matter extracted from the hides, floAving in and poisoning the Trout, have done more to depopulate our waters in a few years, than whole generations of anglers. It is an old story everywhere along our mountain streams, of how abundant Trout once were ; and the angler is shocked and disgusted on every visit, with the unfair modes practised by the natives and pot-fishers in exterminating them. Trout were probably more abundant in our mountain streams at the time of the early settlement of the timber regions by the whites, than they were during the time of occupation by the Indians; for the red man, although he took no more than he could consume at the time, was a destructive fisher ; his weirs and traps at the time of their autumnal descent, the spear on the spawv instance, a spate or flood shall sweep away a portion ol'tlK^ gni.vel of a ford, ;ind, for many years, a favorite spawning locality, and by so d(Mng expose a new stratum of gravel. Not only will Salmon spawn no longer there, but they will not even rest in their journeys in water having a bottom recently disturbed. A })eriod of about two years must elapse bcfoi-c; 1-hey will liHujuent ii pool or stream from which gravi'i lias been removed, or to which gravel has been added. So that an excellent spawning-bed, or a famous pool, may be annihilated by a furious rush of water. "Growth of Salmon-Fry. — The ova ha,ving been hatched, the embryo Salmon pierces the sandy and gravelly crust of its nest, and almost instanter assumes a shape somewhat like a hairless cater[)illar, or fringed larva of about tliree-quarters of an inch in length, and tapering from head to tail, having a small sac attached to it, near the throat, al)out the size of, or rather less than, the original ovum, or single pea or spawn. This sac is the remains of the incubated ovum or egg, and still, no doubt, contains vitelline, or matter equivalent, foi the sustentation of the infant Salmon. In connection with the sac and incipient fish, several conduits, or veins, are visible. The sac remains attached to the imperfectly formed fish i'or about a month, and is detached or consumed by degrees. The gradual detachment may be observed in a specimen of twelve days old, for at that age it will be seen that the sac THE SALMON FAMILY. 223 has visibly decreased in volume, tbough it has not as yet become undetached, or entirely ccHisumed. " At a inonth old the lisli-loetus has grown in lengtli, and exhibits to the naked eye plain traces of head, eyes, and tail. Still it is barely more than a pale, misshapen, little longi- tudinal, half-animated substance. ''At two months old the 'fry' measures about one inch and a half, is of nearly perfect piscine formation, having all its fins well defined, and on its coat a slight appearance of trans- verse bars, commonly and erroneously termed 'parr marks.' In speaking of the young of Salmon I shall invariably use the word 'fry,' until they have attained the age of twelve months, when I shall call them 'Smolts.' " At from three to four months a Salmon-fry measures in length from two to two and a half inches — hardly so much. Its head is round ; there are pink spots on the body, and the transverse bars are plainly apparent. " At six months the young fish measures from three and a quarter to three and a half inches in length, and the pink spots and transverse bars continue to become more and more distinct. " At eight months the fry is very little longer than it is at six months of age, but it is evidently thicker or more bulky. At nine months, even, the increase of growth does not tally with the increase of age. No doubt its growth is impeded by (I beg the reader to bear in mind that I am speaking gene- rally, and not of exceptions) its attaining the above age in the winter months, when its favorite food, flies, other insects, and larvae cannot be procured in anything like abundance." " A Salmon-fry at ten months measures about four inches, and the transverse bars begin to disappear, silvery smolt scales by degrees taking their place. 22\ A ,M !■: 1! I (" A .\ A N<1 LE K' S ]'. o n K " At clcvcii iiioiillis its length is foui- iind ;i, lin.ll" iiicJu^s, and tlic hriijlit silvery sciiloH lire, now seen desccMiding towards the n^i^-ioii of the Ix'lly. " A Saliiion-IVy at twelve montlis old is ea,ll(Ml a 'Sniolt.' " ' It now a,ssiini(\s tlu^ nilgratory eotit, that is, the silvery one. TIk^ tra,nsvers(» hars lia,ve dis:i})]")eared, find so liav(> t,h(> pink spots on th(^ sid(\s. 'V]\c young (ish. a, part ofthe l)ac.k, belly, and head, is eovi'red with bright silvery scales. At tlu^ shoulder a, lew ^TroMt-liki' sj)ots ;ire visihh*. It is now ready al the first fitting oppoilunil,y to eoninuMiee joiiriK^ving (h>wn river to the sea,. In ordei* to induei^ and enahh^ sniolts to do so, it, is not, nee.(^ssarv that rivers should he lloodetl, hut there must he a sulTieient, voIuuk^ of walei- to eai'ry th(> migrating lisli salelv ovei' weirs, shallows, and otlu^r impediments. They will not migi'ate at low wat (*)•." Although repe;i,t,ing in pai't what, lias just. \h)c\\ said, to elucidate \\\c suhjiM't still further, 1 give on the next page my own explana.tion oC t.lu^ suhjoiuccl illustration. ^ T UK SALMON FAMILY. 226 Tn tlu', fovo^'oing ligiuws, No. 1, rciprosoiiis tho impn^i^njitod egg ; 2. Tlic young lisli oil (Miuu't^iui!, I'loiii l\\c (^gg — wilJi \]\r. umbilical bladder, tVoni whicJi it di'aws il.s susI.oujiihu* lor the lii-sl. iiioiilli, atlMU'-licd— this little sac-k of initi'iiiuMit Ixiiiig absorbed in about thai time; 3. Tlu^ young lisli al'tei- tin; innbilieaJ hladdcM- has dis- appeared ; 4. Represents its size w hen thi-ee months old. 5. K(3presenls the size at live oi" si.\ months old. i^'igure (*), on ]>;ige -i'27, shows the size at ten or eIev«M! mouths. It is sehlom found hirger with the bai's or "lingei' marks" on it; an p;ig(\ represcmts the lish, wIkmi :i month or two older, al'tei' it has assunitMl the silv(U"v eojit, tli.it ushers it into tlu^ " Sinolt" state; soon al'ttu- whieh it- tak(\s its course seaward to return in a few nionths a, beaut.iful (Ji-ils»!, weigiiing as many [)ounds, as it did onne(!S wIkmi it st^t out on its lirst, journey to the gi'eat deep. ^V\\(i lirst fonr ligiires, on l)age 224, L have ha,d eopicMl by Mr. Fry's permission, from liis work on Kisli-Hr and 7), are lae similes of those in tlu; "Hook of \.\\i'. Sa.lmon." A ean'.ful observiu- will have no h(3sitation in dist inguisliing the IVy of the Salmon from small ^Prout. ^The Salmon-fry have scales which a,re mueh more; pei"eeptil)le, a.nd easily de taclied ; they avo also nioi-(! l)rilliant, and generally wit,h a single row of wA spots; tin; eyes an; larg theii' i'out(\ and, al't(M- iiecessai'y rests on their lon^- voyage, very IVeeiuently on the; spots of tluur pai-eiil.s' nativity, they revisit for the first tini(\ the sc(Mu\s of tluMr bii'th and infancy. Revisit them — Ibr what? Being nul)ih\ to peribi-m tin; nuptial I'ights. which they do where their Ibi-elatluus begat them, and so they go on iucn^asing and multij)lying in colonies lieretol'ore tenantless of Salmon, ev bays and estuarit's in May, a,nd prepare foi- their residence in fresh rivers by spending a i'ew weeks in the brackish waltu-, whcn^ they still lind food, though of les.s nntrit-ive (piality, such as Shrimp, ('apidins, and Smelts. My iViend, John ( /haiuberhiin, says, he once speared a Salmon at the enti'ance of BatJmrst harbor, in which he found cdeven Capelius. After these fish have thus gi'adually pro[)ai-ed themselves T II E SAL M 0 N V A ISl I L V . 235 for a rosidciuH' in IVcsli watoi', tlicy Jiscciid l\\c river's on tlie lirst ris(\ sni'inounl in;.;- nip'hls ;nnl IcMpin,^ i'nlls of li\ss than liv^^ or six t'oct willi pcrlcct ease, aiul resting in (In^ pools above, lu the early })art of tlic season tli«\v make short slag-es, some.- times oeeupyini^ a pool lor a, - draws near, they drop down the river t(.) the shaJlows, or seek some of the smaller tributaries for that purpose. '^ E])hemera" pi'opcrly ridicides tln^ notion tha.t formerly existed, and still does to some extent a,mon^st ignorant people, that the Salmon in snrmountin_i>- a Tall, j)uts its tail in its mouth, and so bending itself like a, bow, with a sudden spring and letting the tail go, throws itsell' abov(^ tlie obstiaic- tion. It is clear to every thinking ndnd tha,t in making its lea[), the Salmon must have depth (j1' water, to acquire impetus in throwing itself al)ove the fall. The author in question says, he has seen a (Irilse K'ap upwai'iO AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK piece to the tip more than one and a half inches. It is better, if the angler has the knack and patience, to join these two pieces by a neat splice about three inches long, which should be closely wrapped with coarse waxed silk. This splice will be all the more secure by rubbing each surface where they are brought in contact, with shoemaker's wax. In the days of stage-coaches, a rod of four pieces was most convenient in travelling, but of late years, when most fishing-grounds can be reached by rail, one of three pieces is easily and safely carried, and is preferred by most anglers, on account of its having fewer ferules. The rings through which the line passes should be as light as possible, gradually lessening in size towards the end of the tip, where they need not be larger than to allow the free passage of the line. Under the head of "Rod Making," I shall endeavor to impart to the reader whatever knowledge of suitable wood and materials I may have acquired as an amateur rod-maker; being well satisfied that the angler who has leisure, and aptness for mechanism, will derive additional pleasure from fishing with a rod of his own make. English writers recommend that the last si5c or eight inches of a fly-tip should be of whalebone. The objection to this is, that when this material is reduced to the requisite size, it becomes soft and inelastic from moisture, and brittle from cold or dryness; in its former condition it is too limp to lift the line from the water with a proper spring. Some authors also recommend hollow butts, on account of their convenience for carrying extra tips ; they are now as obsolete as hazel tips and wooden reels. Such a rod as I have recommended might not stand a long day's fishing witlioiit warping, where the average size of Trout are such as Sir Humphrey Davy speaks of taking from his noble friend's preserves in the Coin or Wandle. or such as TROUT FLY-FISHING. ^H are to be found occasionally in the lakes of the Adirondack Mountains or Maine : but for lightness, spring, and pleasant casting, a rod of this kind is generally preferred to a heavier or stouter rod, and will meet every demand made on its strength by the usual run of Trout found in a stream that requires wading. Few anglers, after having accustomed themselves, though only for a day, to casting with a light, pliant, one-handed rod as here described, are ever satisfied to resume a two-handed rod, or one of greater length and weight. There are many highly-finished one-handed English fly- rods imported and sold by tackle stores, but they are too stiff, besides being heavier by one-third than is necessary, and so clogged with unnecessary mountings, reel -fastenings, ferules, wrappings, and varnish, that the purchaser is apt to abandon them after a few seasons' experience, for a rod of his own designing, or his own make. The more weight or force applied to the tip of a well- proportioned fly-rod, the more the strain is thrown on the lower part ; exemplifying the principle of Eemington's bridge, in which the strain is longitudinal where the timbers are small, and transverse at the abutments. The color of a rod, if not too light, is of little importance ; it may be stained black or yellow ; the latter color should never be produced by strong acids, which are apt to impair the strength of the wood. Dark woods, of course, require no staining. A neutral tint is imparted by one or two coats of common writing-fluid, of bluish tint. Shellac, which is soluble in alcohol or ether, is general Iv preferred to copal varnish : it should be applied thin ; the glare of the last coat should be removed from a new rod bv sprinkling a little segar ashes on a wet rag. rubbing gently, and then wiping it off with clean water. 312 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. A good plan for protecting a rod from moisture^ is to give it a thin coat or two of boiled linseed oil, after staining it. The oil should be applied warm, and rubbed well into the grain of the wood. It should dry thoroughly before var- nishing. In a rod for my own use I prefer a tip reasonably stifij and ihe middle piece somewhat slight below the ferule that joins it to the tip. This is what some anglers call a " top-heavy" rod, which makes casting easier ; the tip being stiffish, lifts the line more readily from the water. Eeels. — A small light reel, which will hold twenty-live yards of line, is best for Trout-fishing. One with a short axle, which brings the plates of the reel close together, is to be preferred; as it winds the line more compactly on the spool. I have a simple click reel of this kind, which is two inches in diameter and only three-quarters of an inch between the plates. John Krider, at the north-east corner of Second and Walnut streets, Philadelphia, generally keeps them on hand, or will have them made to order. Lines. — A plaited or twisted line of hair and silk, tapering for the last five or six yards, is by all odds the best for Trout-fishing. Leaders. — A leader should taper gradually from the end where it joins the line, to the end to which the stretcher-fly is attached, and should be two-thirds or three-fourths the length of the rod. I prefer making my own leaders to buying them at the tackle stores. It is very easily done by soaking the gut well, and using the angler's double knot. An illustration of this knot will be found in another chapter. Flies. — In giving a list of flies best adapted to American waters, I have done so without reference to the opinions of English writers, considering many of their rules and theories regarding flies inapplicable to our country. The observations TROUT FLY-FISHING. 313 here jotted down, are rather the result of my own experience, as I have learned them on the stream and from members of our little club the "' Houseless Anglers." Much, perhaps most, of the theoretical knowledge of flies acquired by the reading angler, when he begins, is obtained from the writings of our brethren of the " Fast-anchored Isle." Every fly-fisher can read Chitty, Eonalds, Rene, " Ephemera," and others, with interest and profit. Though I do not pretend to condemn or think lightly of their pre- cepts, drawn from long experience of bright waters and its inmates, yet if followed without modification and proper allowance for climate, season, water, and insect life here as contrasted with England, the beginner is apt to be led into many errors, corrected only by long summers of experience. So he will come at last to the conclusion, that of the many flies described and illustrated in English books, or exhibited on the fly- makers' pattern -cards, a very limited assortment is really necessary, and many totally u.seless, in making up his book. He will also find, after the lapse of some years, that of the great variety with which he at first stored his book, he has gradually got rid of at least three-fourths of them, as he has of the theory of strict imitation, and the routine system, (that is, an exact imitation of the natural fly, and particular flies for each month), and settles down to the use of a half dozen or so of hackles and a few winged flies ; and with such assortment, considers his book stocked beyond any contin- gency. An extensive knowledge of flies and their names can hardly be of much practical advantage. Many a rustic adept is ignorant of a book ever having been written on fly-fishing, and knows the few flies he uses onl}^ by his own limited vocabulary. One of the most accomplished fly-fishers I ever met with has told me that bis first essay was with the scalp 314 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK of a red-headed woodpecker tied to the top of his hook. Notwithstanding all this, there is still a harmonious blending of colors or attractive hues, as well as the neat and graceful tying of a fly, that makes it killing. With these few preliminary remarks, I shall describe only the flics which I have used successfully, and refer the reader to the English works on angling just mentioned, for a descrip- tion of the great variety known by so many different names. Hackles and Palmers. The Red Baclde. — This is what the renowned Mr. Conroy, of Fulton St., New York, calls a '' Journal-Fly," which we suppose to mean a fly for general use. It is one of the indispensable hackles. All fly-fishers, from the country bobkin to the most experienced angler, have constant use for it ; few make their whip for the first cast of the season without it. It is particularly killing when the water is discolored by a freshet, at which time it is best as a stretcher on a No. 4 hook, and dressed Palmer* fashion. When used as a drop-fly, it should not be dressed on hooks larger than No. 6 or 7. It is a good fly from April to the 1st of September, after which, as Dr. Bethune righteously says, no '' true-hearted angler" will wet a lina in a Trout-stream. The body of this fly is made of red mohair or the ra veilings of red moreen or floss silk ; sometimes with yellow floss ; or the hurl of the peacock, the tail tipped with gold tinsel. If dressed as a Palmer, the body is wound with gold or silver thread; gold is best. The hackle should be of the darkest natural red, not dyed. The Soldier Hackle, from its high colors, is attractive on dark waters and deep pools, though not generally as killing as the Red Hackle ; hooks, from No. 2 to 6 for stretchers,t and from 6 to 9 for drop-flies.f It is better dressed as a Palmer, * Fur an illustration of a Palmer, see figure 4 on plate of Trout-Flies, t For explanation of "stretcher" and "drop-fly" or "dropper/' see article " The Whip," a few pages further on. TROUT FLY-FISHING. 315 the body of red or crimson mohair, wrapped with gold or silver thread ; hackle dyed crimson. It is seldom used as a drop -fly. The Brown Eackle is scarcely inferior to the Eed. I have used it with great satisfaction on the subsiding of a freshet, when the water had become rather bright for the Red Hackle, on the same sized hooks, and especially as a stretcher, from 9 A. M. to 4 P. M. The hackle of most appropriate color for this fly is not easily obtained. I have sometimes found it on the necks of capons, which are brought to our market picked, with the exception of the neck and head. What is termed a furnace-hackle is frequently used in tying this fly, for a cock with brown hackles on his tail-coverts is seldom found. I invariably dress the body of the Brown Hackle with the darkest copper-colored peacock's hurl, the tail tipped with gold tinsel. The Ginger Hackle. — The hackle used for this fly is a yellowish or a very pale red ; it is frequently taken from the neck of a cock whose tail-coverts are of a tint deep enough for the Red Hackle. The Ginger Hackle is better used as a drop-flv than as a stretcher; the body should be of dubbing of the same color as the hackle, and wrapped with silver thread if it is used for a stretcher. When it is used for a dropper, the body may be of orange or lemon colored floss silk ; the latter tint is preferable towards sundown. The hook used should not be larger than No. 7 ; No. 9 or 10 is not too small on still, smooth water. Where the hackle is very pale, this fly will kill as long as you can see it on the Avater. It is sometimes dressed Palmer fashion, though I do not like it so well as when it is tied simply as a Hackle. I generally tie it — as I do most Hackles — on a Kirby hook, on account of its superior hooking qualities. Black Hackles are better for drop-flies. As they are used 316 A M E R I C A N A N G L E R ' S B 0 0 K , chiefly on fine water, or on bright days, or at midday, they should be dressed on small hooks, say from. 8 to 10 or even 12 (Kirby). I prefer the bodies of copper-colored peacock hurl, though black mohair is generally used. The bodies of this fly are also made of orange and red floss silk ; they are sometimes dressed as Palmers, and ribbed with silver or gold thread or tinsel, or with coarse red or orange silk. A Grizzly Hackle is a good drop-fly on a bright day towards noon ; it is best on a body of black floss or mohair. The hackle for this fly is a mixture of black and white — the darker the better. It is obtained mostly from the neck of the cock. It is good on bright water, and more appropriate for a dropper. A pale yellow mottled, or harred Hackle, with light yellow silk body, is a good evening fly. I sometimes tie it on a No. 10 or 12 Kirby hook. It comes into play with great effect, with the Yellow Sally at sundown, and as late in the evening as Trout will rise. A White Hackle, with white or very pale yellow hody, it is thought by many, will kill later in the evening than any other fly, though I think it not superior to the pale yellow mottled hackle just described. The Dotterel i^ one of the flies described by Hofland — "body of yellow silk, legs and wings from the feather of a dotterel." This feather is not known to American anglers ; my imitations are made from the light barred feather of the partridge or snipe, and the body of light yellow floss silk. It is easily made, and on small Kirby hooks it is killing on well-shaded waters, especially towards sunset. The Grouse Hackle has a body of orange floss, or peacock hurl ; I prefer the latter. A suitable feather for this fly can be had from the wing-coverts and rump of our common TROUT FLY-FISHING. 317 prairie fowl ; a cock partridge's feather is still better ; a snipe's or woodcock's will do. This is a good fly on clear water, as well as on a full stream ; if for the latter, it is better to have the body tipped with gold tinsel It iS better used as a drop fly; the hook should never be larger than No. 6 on full water, and 8 or 10 when it is fine. A light mottled lead-colored Hackle may be made from the feather that hangs on either side of the rump of an English snipe ; it is slightly barred. The body may be made of lead-colored floss, or a pale but distinct yellow ; it is a good drop-fly on hooks from No. 6 to 9. It is almost identical with the Dotterel. The last seven of the aforementioned Hackles are better without having the bodies tipped with tinsel, and are good ones to induct the beginner in the art of tying his own flies. Most of them should be used exclusively as droppers. The Bed, Brown, Soldier, and Gringer Hackles are quite as suc- cessful as stretchers. The Red Hackle, I am in the habit of dressing on hooks from No. 3 to 5, made of stout heavy wire, so that it will sink somewhat below the surface of the water : ^hich mode of fishing I have frequently found necessary, especially after a freshet ; the Trout in the rifts appearing to take it as bait, carried along by the current beneath the surface, rather than as a fly. Winged Flies. — Of the great variety described in English books on fly-fishing, I place foremost of all, the Great Red Spinner, which Hofland says is made, " body of hog's wool dyed red brown, ribbed with gold twist ; tail, two long whisks of red hackle ; wings from the feather of a star- ling's wing; legs, bright amber, stained hackle." This is the Red Spinner found in the tackle stores. As we have no starling with us, I generally make the wings of a brown mottled feather from the wing-covert of the mallard ; body 318 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK, of red mohair, if there are Chub in the stream, and they are troublesome, I substitute a dubbing of bright orange, gene- rally of hog's down, to avoid them, for red is very attractive to those pests. A Brown Spinner is made by using a brown mallard's feather for wings, brown mohair or hog's wool for body, and a brown hackle for legs. This is considered by many a better fly than the Red Spinner, and is used mostly as a stretcher. The same fly is sometimes made by picking out the hog's wool dubbing under the wings, to represent legs, instead of using a hackle for that purpose. The March Brown, and Cowdung, I have never taken a fancy to, nor the Stone Fly ; they are useless when one has a supply of Spinners in his book. There are several small flies with light yellow or slate bodies and lead- colored wings, described by Ronalds, which resemble each other closely ; they are good for the evening, or on well-shaded waters at midday. These are the Gockwing, Golden Dun Midge, Yellow Dun, Skyblue, Whirling Blue Dun, and Little Pale Blue Dun. None of them should be on hooks larger than No. 7. The Iron Blue Dun is used with effect at almost any time of day. It is preferable as a drop-fly. The Grannom has a body of hare's fur ; wings of a partridge feather, made fall ; legs of a pale ginger hackle, and a short tuft of green floss silk at the tail, to represent the bag of eggs which this insect carries at the extremity of its body. In this country, the Grannom is found on the water towards the latter part of June, mostly towards sundown ; this imitation of it is a killing fly as a stretcher on a No. 8 hook. The Jenny Spinner (this is a Hackle). — T have seen this diminutive fly used with great success as a dropper, on the same whip with the Grannom ; body, white floss silk, wound TROUT FLY-FISHING. 3J9 with a light dun hackle, or a dirty white hackle will answer in the absence of the former ; the head and tail of brown silk ; hooks No. 9 or 10. The Black Gnat is a small fly, and a pretty good imitation of a gnat ; it is best on bright waters after ten o'clock ; hooks 8 to 10. The Yellow Sally has yellow wings, body, and legs ; some- times it is tied as a liackle. It is a good fly at sundown, and as long as the angler can see where it falls on the water. The Fern-Fly is attractive, with its bright orange body and lead-colored wings. The Alder- Fly. — Next to the Red and Brown Spinners, this is the best stretcher-fly on Ilofland's list. I have used two of them on fine low water at the same time, with great effect, one for dropper and the other for stretcher. The body of .this fly should be made of copper-colored peacock's hurl, and the wings of a feather from a brown mallard, or brown hen. This fly can be varied by having a black mohair body, picked out near the head to represent the legs, as in the Brown Spinner. / May Flies (the Green and the Gray Drake are the chief representatives), as killing as they may be on English waters, are seldom used successfully in this country. rThe Mackerel- Fly is supplanted by the Brown Spinner. A Fancy Fly, with red or brown hog's wool for body, ' picked out beneath near the head, for legs ; a dark brown mallard or hen's feather, with a few fibres from the feather of the scarlet ibis and green parrot thrown in for wings ; a tail of two fibres of a red macaw or ibis feather, and the end of the body tipped with tinsel, is sometimes a good stretcher. I have used it successfully on the rifts of the Beaverkill, in Sullivan County, N. Y.; it also does well on the still waters of the Adirondacks. The hook should be No. 2 or 3. gvO AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. The Scarlet Ibis, as much as it is lauded by some, I have never had much success with, except for those splendid Canadian fish known as Sea Trout. With a red or bright yellow body ribbed with gold twist, it is very killing in angling for them. The Oovernor, though a beautiful fly, I have not tried successfully. It closely resembles the Fern-Fly. The fly-fisher who keeps a varied assortment should not be without a few small dark Camlet-Flies. The Irish fly-makers excel in these. I have found, however, that small dark Hackles, and the Alder-Fly, when tied on a No. 10 hook, with wings from a dark mottled broAvn hen, to raise Trout when anything artificial could induce them to come to the surface. At the Sault Ste. Marie, and on the lakes of Maine, and on some of the rivers about Lake Superior, small Salmon-flies are more killing than Trout-flies ; hooks smaller than No. 2 , (Trout) are seldom used there. After having gone into a somewhat lengthy description of the flies I have found to take well, I will refer to a few which I tie for my own fishing, and with slight variation of color and size, I find them ample for all seasons, weather, and water. I do not pretend to say that other flies may not be as killing on the whip of other anglers, but the constant use of these for the last five or six summers, has given me (it may be) a kind of blind faitli in them, which has led me to adopt them to tlie exclusion of nearly all others. Of winged flies I use only the Brown Hen and the Coach- man; of Hackles, only a hrown, a black, and a ginger. There is no variation in the bodies of my Coachmen ; they are always of copper- colored peacock's hurl, tipped with tin- sel, the legs invariably of red hackle. The wings are of four tints : first, white ; second, a light lead color, generally from a tame pigeon ; third, a shade of lead color rather darker — a TROUTFLY -FISHING. 321 gull's feather is very appropriate ; fourtli, a decided lead color — say from a blue heron, I tie those intended for droppers on hooks from No. 6 to 10 ; for stretchers, I use Nos. 2, 4, and 6; and in fishing with them, vary the color of wings and size of hooks according to the weather (bright or cloudy), the water (full or fine), and the time of day. The AYhite wings are best when the water is full and the sky overcast, or late in the afternoon. The Brown Hen I tie without varying the colors : body of copper-colored peacock's hurl, tipped with gold tinsel ; legs of dark brown hackle ; wings from a dark brown hen's feather, mottled or speckled with yellow at the outer ends of the fibres. This feather, which I have mentioned so often, is taken mostly from hens known as tlie " golden pheasant breed," and is not generally appreciated by professional fly- makers. On a No. 8 hook for a stretcher, this fly kills splendidly on fine still water, and on a bright day. I generally use with it, a brown or black Hackle on a No. 10 hook, as dropper. A Ginger Hackle, with a light yellow body, is my favorite evening fly. Any of these flies are tied to order, and by the angler's'-' own pattern, if he wishes it, by Mr. George, at Philip Wilson's gun and tackle store in Chestnut above Fourth street, or by Mr. Jackson, in Gold below Dock street, or John Worden, at Krider's, corner of Second and Walnut streets, Philadelphia. The Whip. — The leader, with its flies attached, is generally termed the Whip, the neatness and proper arrangement of which is of much importance. The fly at the end is called the Stretcher, Drag-Fly, or Tail-Fly. Those above are the Drop Flies. Sometimes they are termed " Bobbers" or " Droppers." The stretcher, as a general rule, should be larger than the 21 322 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. drop-fly ; tlie greater size and weight being at the end of the leader, enables the angler to cast further, and with more pre- cision. And the consequent greater resistance in drawing it over the surface, keeps the leader taut and the dropper more at right angles with it, than if the reverse was the rule. The distance between the stretcher and drop-fly should be proportioned to the general length of the cast. In fishing where it is more convenient to cast a short line — say of eighteen or twenty feet — the flies should not be more than thirty inches apart. This distance between the flies is more suitable to the beginner ; but as practice enables him to throw a longer line, the dropper may be moved further up the leader, until four, or even four and a half, feet may intervene. The stretcher should be tied to the end of the leader by the common water-knot, which is illustrated on page 409, and the dropper fastened, as shown by figure 3, on the same diagram. The pieces of gut on which droppers are dressed, should be stiff, and not more than five or six inches in length. If the angler fishes with two drop-flies (though more than one is seldom used), the upper should be twelve inches or so above the first dropper. The leader should not be more than three-fourths of the length of the rod, i. e., nine feet for a twelve-foot rod. With the beginner it should not exceed six feet, for a short line, if light nt the end, is not as easily cast by the novice as a heavy one. A good large-sized hook also will make casting easier, in his first attempt. He should not commence with more than one dropper. Frank Forester recommends a leader of fifteen feet. This length would make it impossible for the angler to reel up his fish within reach of his landing-net, as the knot which fastens the line to the leader, and those by which the different gut- lengths are joined, would catch in the wire loop at the end of the tip, or in the rings, and, as a consequence, the fish could not be brought near enough to put the landing-net under it. CHAPTER XII. FLY-FISHING FOR TROUT. I NEVER wander where the bordering reeds O'erloiik the muddy stream, who.se tangUng weeds Perplex the fisher ; I, nor choose to bear The thievish nightly net, nor barbed spear ; Xor drain I ponds, the golden Carp to take, Nor trowle for Pikes, dispeoplers of the lake. Around the steel no tortured worm shall twine. No blood of living insect stains my line ; Let me. less cruel, cast the feathered hook, With pliant rod, athwart the pebbled brook. Silent along the mazy margin stray, And with the fur-wrought fly delude the prey." Gat. CHAPTER XII. >- TROUT FLY-FISHING. — THE STREAM. Casting the Fly.— Theory of strict imitation.— Striking and killing a Fish. — Likely places, how to fish them. Casting the Fly.— So much has been written on this subject, that the learner who consults the authorities, "not only finds that " doctors disagree," but that he is bewildered with what may appear to him unnecessary detail ; and he is thus impressed with an idea that Fly -Fishing is a science to be attained only with much study and practice. It would therefore be much better to learn tlie rudiments from some skilful friend on the stream, and afterwards read sucli autho- rities as Chitty, "Ephemera," and Ronalds. As it is likely, however, that some of my readers who may wish to try their hands, may not be able to avail themselves of the practical instruction of friends of experience, or msiy not have access to English authors on fly-fishing, I will, with some misgivings as to my ability to profit them, describe the usual manner of casting the fly, as practised by our best anglers. Advising the beginner not to be ambitious at first of accomplishing what he may deem a diflicult feat, that is, to cast a long line, but rather by patience and diligence to acquire the knack of delivering one of moderate length straight out and lightly ; by perseverance he will in due time find " how use doth breed a habit in a man." On a favorable day the learner, with faith and industry, (327) 328 A -M E R I C A N ANGLER'S ]J 0 0 K . and no preconceived notions of the difficulty of fly-fisliing, may find at his nooning that he has made a catch which does not compare unfavorably with that of his more skilful brother. If the contrary be the case, let him not lose heart, as there may have been many circumstances against him : as inexperience of the waters, the arrangement of his Avhip, lauding his fish, &c., which he has yet to learn, and that it is not his casting which is altogether at fault. Some writers have objected to the accepted term " whip- ping," contending that casting the fly is different from Avhip- ping with a long staff and lash. I acknowledge that in the main it is. Still the first motions of the arm and rod are not unlike the motions of the arm and Avhip-staff of a stage-driver. Tlio latter intends that the end of his lash shall reach a certain part of the horse's body, while the angler intends that his flies shall fall on a certain part of the stream ; but here the similitude ends. The driver, by a sudden backward motion of the arm, causes the lash to strike the horse with force, and rebound ; while the angler avoids the quick backward motion, and allows his flies to fall lightly ; and theii, not hastily,/TDut by a gentle movement of his rod, draws his flies towar.ls him or across the water. But to commence. — Let the beginner draw out as much line as he can conveniently cast. If he uses a twelve foot rod, eighteen feet (tliat is, from the tip to the stretcher-fly) is enouii-h. Then with a backward motion of his rod, let his line i' mIioiiM Ix^'ir ill iiiiikI tlmt it is not striil ;i,ii (;asy Ml<'i;j,lit, a,!i(l the. spiiii-^ ot iIk' rod, l,li;i,t efleets the h)iit4' Jiiid li«^lit cHst. Th<- ;i,nii shoidd he e.\t(Uid(;d sli/^htly, and the iriotioii iiiipjifird lo iJie rod l»y the lorc-inii working as on Ji pivot, ;i,t the elhow, ;iJid the h;i,inl t,iiriiin;j; us on :i,iiothe»- pivot at the vvi'ist. The iiiolion of the h.-ind ;uid wrist only is r(!(|uircd in a shoit, strai;j,ht east. The angh;r slioidd not (;ast ii,t i;i,iuh)in ovej- th(; waU-r, but ea<'h portion of it, shoidd he earelidly lishc;*!, the iK^arest lirst. IJe slioidd aJways aim at soiiu; p;i,rt,ieid;ir ph'u',e ; he will soon Icai'n to nie.'isnre the distariee with Ids eye;, and exert- tin; exact ainoiinl of loi-et; to [)ropel his Hies to the desired spot. In drawiii;j; th<-.iii ovei' the w.'i,l,er, the piimary ojjjeet is 1-(j have tin- drop lly t,o skim or d;ip :doii;_' on the, suiTae.c; tin; ntr(;teher whieh follows in its wake; m;i.y he allowed to take eare of itsell', for, as a gener;d thin-!;, it matl,y, ingenuity, and observation will t,eaeh him how to east in difrK-nlt plaeen. Our streajns a,nd hikes ;i,re generally lished, th<; first l^y wading, the latter frotn a hoat, and seldom froiii a high liaiik. It is t]ier(ifore less n(M;(;ssary to east a long line than many suf)pose, or English writers deHcribe it to be. lint our 330 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK rugged forest streams, overhung by bushes and branches of treeS; and other obstructions occurring, make it requisite that the angler should acquire tact and skill, to meet these difficulties. In casting under branches which hang within a few feet of the water, the motion of the rod and course pursued by the line is necessarily horizontal. For instance, in wading down a stream, if you intend whipping under the branches on the right, a back-handed cast is necessary ; the backward pre- paratory motion of the rod being across the stream to your left, and the cast horizontally from the left to your right. When the branches you wish to cast under are on your left, the course of the line is vice versa, that is, from the right to the left. The largest Trout love the shade of trees and bushes which overhang the bank, and it is only by the means just described that you can present your flies. It is customary to fish down stream, and there is much difference of opinion as to whether the general rule should be to cast directly down or across the water. In this the angler must be governed much by cir- cumstances, and his own judgment. I prefer the diagonal cast, as presenting the flies in a more natural way, although the drop-fly may appear to play better, and set more at right angles with the leader, when drawing up against the stream. When the wind is blowing up the stream, it becomes in a good degree necessary to iish across, if possible casting below the desired spot, and allowing the wind to carry the flies to the right place as they fall on the water. If, however, it blows strongly in the direction of the cast, care should be taken when putting on a fresh fly to moisten the gut to which it is attached, if it be a stretcher. Many flies are cracked off by neglecting this precaution. The advice of English writers to fish up stream, or with the TROUT FLY-FISHING. 33^ wind at one's back, in most cases cannot be followed; for our rough rapid streams in the first instance, and the thickly - wooded banks in the other, which make it necessary to wade, ignore both rules. The force of the current in many a good rift would bring the flies back, and, as I have seen with beginners, entangle them in the legs of his pantaloons. It is only in a still pool, or where the current is gentle, that one is able to fish up stream with any degree of precision. A word or two here about the flies coming down ^ " Light as falls the flaky snow/' and that the flies only should touch the surface, or that they should touch it before the leader. The first idea is a very poetical one, and may be carried out in a good degree, if the line is light, the leader fine, and the cast not too long. The second is impracticable with a long line, unless from a bank somewhat elevated above the water. But in a daj^'s fishing on our streams, the miraculous casting or falling of the flies, which some writers speak of, and their skill in this respect, are things we " read about." My experience is, that the falling of the leader — which is almost transparent when properly dj^ed — do.es not frighten the fish, but it is the incautious approach or conspicuous position of the angler. In casting over a piece of water, the flies always precede the leader and line, and, as a matter of course, fall where the fish lie before the line does, as the fisher advances or extends his cast. As the line will swag- more or less in a long cast, it must necessaril}^ touch the water. I would not give the impression from the foregoing that it is not necessary that the flies should fall lightly, for in fishing fine it is important that they should. To accomplish this, as I have already said, no sudden check should be given to the 332 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK flies, but they should be eased off (if I may so express it) as they fall, by the slightest downward bending of the wrist. There is a great deal of poetry also, as well as fiction, in the stories told about casting a very long line. Experience will teach you to cast no longer line than is necessary, what- ever proficiency you may acquire. Still it should be borne in mind, that the higher your position above the water, the more visible you are to the fish, hence the greater the necessity for fishing far off when occupying such a stand. But with such elevation, it is easier to cast a long line. When a person is wading the stream, he is less visible to the fish than if he was on the bank, as the medium through which the line of sight passes is more dense than the atmo- sphere above, and the rougher the water the more the line of sight between the angler and the fish is disturbed. Nicer casting is, of course, required on a still pool than on a rift ; a careful angler, when he wades such water, will always go in softly, without floundering or splashing, fishing it by inches, scarcely making a ripple, and creating so slight a disturbance, that he will find the fish rising within a few yards of him ; then he should cast with not too long a line, and lightly. If he sees a large Trout rising lower down the pool, he does not fish carelessly, or hurry on to get to him, but tries to take those that may lie in the intervening water, and approaches him slowly and imperceptibly, knowing that he will be found there when his time comes. I may add here that in such water a landing-net is indispensable, as it would disturb the pool to wade ashore with every good fish, and that here also you have a better opportunity of using your net and securing your fish, than in a rift. In casting a long line, or even a short one, particularly on a windy day, it is better to wet it occasionally by holding the leader and flies in your hand, and let it swag in the water; TROUT FLY-FISHING. 333 the weight of the line thus increased, helps the cast. If it could be accomplished, the great desideratum would be, to keep the line wet and the flies dry. I have seen anglers succeed so well in their efforts to do this by the means just mentioned, and by whipping the moisture from their flies, that the stretcher and dropper would fall so lightly, and remain so long on the surface, that a fish would rise and deliberately take the fly before it sank. One instance of this kind is fresh in my memory : it occurred at a pool beneath the fall of a dam on the Williwe- mock, at a low stage of water — none running over. The fish were shy and refused every fly I offered them, when my fi'iend put on a Grannom for a stretcher, and a minute Jenny Spinner for a dropper. His leader was of the finest gut and his flies fresh, and by cracking the moisture from them between each throw, he would lay them so lightly on the glassy surface, that a brace of Trout would take them at almost every cast, and before they sank or were draAvn away. He had tied these flies and made his whip especially for his evening cast on this pool, and as the fish would not notice mine, I was obliged to content myself with landing his fish, which in a half hour counted several dozen. Here was an exemplification of the advantage of keeping one's flies dry, and the fallacy of the theory of not allowing the line to fall on the water, for in this instance I noticed that a fourth or a third of it touched the surface at every cast. It seems to me that there is no more appropriate place than this to say a few words about the " routine" and " strict imi- tation system," which some English writers advocate so strenuously. The former, that is, certain flies for certain months, or for each month, is now considered an exploded theory by practical anglers who wish to divest fly-fishing of all pedantic humbug ; for the fly that is good in April is 334 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK, killing in August, and the Red and Brown Hackle, the Coachman, Alder- Fly, and Brown Hen, will kill all summer. For the theory of " strict imitation," there is some show^ of reason, but I cannot concede that Trout will rise more readily at the artificial fly which most closely resembles the natural one, for the fish's attention is first attracted because of some- thing lifelike falling on the water, or passing over the surface, and he rises at it because he supposes it to be something he is in the habit of feeding upon, or because it resembles an insect or looks like a fly, not that it is any 'particular insect or fly ; for we sometimes see the .m*bst glaring cheat, which resembles nothing above the waters or beneath the waters, a piece of red flannel, for instance, or the fin of one of their o^n species, taken greedily. The last time I had positive proof of this was some years ago, when I happened to spend a quiet Sabbath in the "Beech Woods" of Pennsylvania, with a cheery Irishirian who had made a clearing on the Big Equinunk. Towards noon I missed my creel, and on inquiring what had become of it, was told that the boys had gone a-fishing and taken it with them. In the afternoon they returned with the creel full of Trout, which far exceeded my catch of the day pre- vious. I asked them if they had taken them with worms — no ; with the fly — no, they had none ; and then I remembered the " dodge" I had practised myself in my early Trout-fishing days. They said they had ''skittered" with the helly fin of the Trout. A worm to catch the first fish was the only bait they wanted, all the rest of the Trout were taken by drawing this rude counterfeit over the surface of the water. They did not know — happy little fellows — that their practice was in oppo- sition to the theory of learned professors, — Hofland, Blaine, Shipley, Ronalds, and others. -I TROUT FLY-FISHING. 335 Striking and Killing a Fish. Striking. — Various direc- tions have been given about striking a fish when it rises at the fly. Some maintain that it is unnecessary, or even wrong, to strike at all, if the line is kept taut. Others say that you should strike as soon as you see the fish or the swirl he makes as he turns to go back. Either is wrong, if adopted as a rule without exceptions. In most cases when Trout rise freely, and are in earnest, they will hook themselves, for the yielding of a pliant rod, as a fish takes the fly, allows him to bear off his prize ; but when he attempts to cast it from his mouth, the spring of the rod fixes the hook in his mouth, as he relaxes his hold. So it frequently happens that the rise is seen and the strain on the rod is felt at the same moment. A fish may even miss the fly, and make another effort to seize it, if not drawn away too hastily. When a fish, therefore, takes the fly vigorously, it is only necessary to keep the line taut. A mere turn of the wrist may be given to fix the hook more firmly in his mouth. On the contrary, when the water is subsiding after a freshet, and the fish have been feeding on worms and insects which have been washed in, they will frequently tug at your stretcher, taking it for such food. Then it is necessary to strike sharply. I have sometimes fished all day in this way, allowing the stretcher (generally a red hackle) to sink a little, and trolling as with a bait, and striking when I felt a bite. Again, on warm days, when Trout lie beneath the shade of trees which stretch their branches over deep still pools, they will rise almost without ruffling the surface, or softly arrest the stretcher beneath, as if to ascertain if it is really some- thing to eat ; then a slight but quick stroke is necessary to secure the fish before he casts it from his mouth. Killing a Fish. — Many Trout are lost by the beginner, 336 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK from excitement or a lack of judgment in managing them. It is always the safei' plan to handle a fish as if he was slightly hooked, and in fishing a rift; to get him out of the rough water and towards the margin where it is comparatively still, as soon as possible. For in his eftbrts to escape, you have the force of the current, as well as his strength and agility, to contend with. If the water is still, and the fish indisposed to show fight, tow him gently to one side and then to the other, as you reel in the line. If there is a sloping shore without obstructions, and you think he is securely hooked, you may sometimes get a little headway on him, and, by a steady pull, lead him ashore before he overcomes his astonishment at being hooked, or has realized his danger. If in landing a fish in this way, though, you allow him to come in contact with a stone or other impediment, it will arouse all his fears, and in his desperation he may tear loose. When a fish of unusual size is hooked, and yoa can do so without disturbing the lower end of the rift or pool, it is safer to lead him down stream, for this increases the difficulty of his breathing, while you are assisted by the current, and the strain on your tackle is diminished. English writers direct us, after hooking a fish, to keep the rod in a perpendicular position, or the point well back over the shoulder ; this is very well if he is securely hooked and swims deep. If he struggles and flounders on the surface, though, the point should be immediatel}^ lowered, and the rod held nearly horizontally across the stream, giving him the whole spring of it, thus keeping him under. It is better not to raise his head above the water until he is somewhat ex- hausted, or until you are ready to slip the landing-net under him. If your reel has a moderately stiff click, and the fish is large TROUT FLY-FISHING. 337 enougli to run the line off, lie should be allowed to do so, bearing on him with the line unchecked l^y the slightest pressure of the fingers. As he slacks in his resistance, reel in the line, giving when you must and shortening when you can, ''butting him," as some persons call it, or bearing hard, only when he approaches some dangerous place, and leading him away from it. After you have ventured to raise his head above water, give to any strong effort he may make to get beneath, or to his humor to take another run, but bearing on him all the while with a taut line. When you can ven- ture to brino- him near, reel in until the end of the leader, where it joins the line, has reached the end of the tip ; he is then, if the leader is three-fourths the length of the rod, and the rod pliant, close enough to slip your net under him. This should be done not with a swoop, but gently ; seize him with the left hand, sticking your thumb under his gill, and taking the hook out of his mouth put him tail-foremost into the hole of your creel. There is much less strain on one's tackle in playing a fish than is generally supposed. In killing a Salmon, if he is properly handled, it does not exceed a pound, and Avitli a Trout, it is not over an ounce or two. I have known anglers handle fi.sh so well as to make a common practice of slipping tfee hand gently down the leader, and seizing them behind the gills, sometimes Avearing a thread glove to insure a firmer grasp. Few, however, have sufficient skill and coolness for such dangerous practice. A landing- net is almost indispensable when there is no convenient place for leading your prize to the bank, or when wading ashore would disturb the quiet of a pool. Likely Places, and how to fish them. — The success of the fly-fisher depends almost as much on w\vtd might be called 22 338 AMKKICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. Mil intuitive knowledge of likely places, as his skill in casting, or in killing a fish. The beginner generally prefers a lively rift, Avhere there is an open cast, for the current takes a good hold on his stretcher, and bears it down stream, while it keeps his leader taut, and his dropper dapping prettily on the surface. But he should remember that in most cases, at such a cast, he is likely to be exposed to the view of the fish, which always lie with their heads up stream. He should therefore approach cautiously, fishing the slack water on each side at the head of the rift, with as long a line as he can well manage. Coming nearer step by step and casting as he advances, he will fish the near, and then the opposite side lower down, drawing his flies lightly across the rough water, and submitting them in some degree to its will. Still approaching he will cast ob- liquely across, then straight down and over the water where the current abates. As a general rule the larger fish take precedence, and lie nearer the head of a rift and rise first. If found at the lower end, it will be where the water is deeper and where there are rocks or an overhanging bank. Trout are not often found in a rift or pool with a smooth even floor of rock, or small pebbles, as it affords them no harbor or hiding-places. Where a large rock projects above the surface in water of sufficient depth, the angler should cast near its edges on both sides, then above where it repels the force of the stream ; or he may have a rise in the eddy just below, where the divided current unites again. A deep bend in the stream where a caving bank over- hangs, affords a likely cast, especially where stumps, logs, or drift-wood lie about. If the stream has a long still reach, one generally fishes from the shallower side, finding his cast opposite where it is TROUT FLY -FISH IN (J. ',]i^\) deeper, casung elose to, or under l.lie [teiuleiil^ boiiglis, or in the shade of the buslies or trees — drawing Ids (lies diagonally or direetly across, it is not a had plan wlie.n lish have risen and rcrusod one's flics, in such a pool, to sit patiently dovv)i and change thcin idr smaller ones of different colors, and aftei' a little while "try back," that is, lish from the lower to the upper end. Dift'erent flics cast IVom another direc^tion will sometimes induce lish to "reconsider the motion," and adopt your a.mendment if properly presented. When the season is well advanced — say 'Uily «)i- Augusi, 'J'rout will assend)le in [)a,irs or little communities in some suitable place lor s[)awning, and i-eniain there if there is no excessive rise in the stream, until it is lime to spawn, ^i'his is frequently beneath the overhanging ahlei's ; there chuck. your flies under, if you cannot present them more civilly, and if you take a good fish, try again, for the rest aiH^ likely to be as hungry. If tin; sun be biighl, use the Alder-fly oii such occasions, for either dropper or stretcher, or both, ^flu! same kind of a shallow side-rift is a likely jdace early in June when the Suckers congregate there to spawn, and the Trout are on the lookout a few yards Ix^low. to catch their roe as it is carried down stream by tlu^ current. Immediately below a mill-dam. if there be any depth oi water, is invariably a. good place; but you should nevc^r st.and cons})ieu()usly above on what is called "the breast" of the dam, or oji a high rock ; such a position is to be con- demned even in a bait-iisher; but get below, and if there is no way of fishing from the sides, go to the tail of the pool, and cast upwards. This, if there be but little water coming- over the dam, is i]\c bc^st ]>laee to fish from. ^I^rout will not take the fly immediately undia- the fall or in the foam, but a little below. In a deep still pool much exposed to the sun, if there is a 340 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK tree or two on the bank with drooping boughs, Trout are apt to collect there, for they love the shade. Here, if the weather is warm, they are not apt to. rise with a splash, as I have just remarked, but will suck in your fly with a mere dimp- ling of the water, or you may have a vague sense of its being arrested beneath the surface. Then strike sharply, but do not be violent, and you have him ; try again, there are more there, and good ones. N'ever pass a piece of still water of reasonable depth where a fresh spring brook, however diminutive, comes in, particu- larly in warm weather. I have in my memory such a pool bordered on one side with hair-grass and duck-weed, which I had frequently passed heedlessly by, supposing it to be back- water from the main stream, or left in the old bed of the creek, from the overflow of the spring freshets. But one day, seeing a quiet dimpling of the surface, I waded lazily in, and threw my flies carelessly on the water, when a thirteen-incher laid hold, and was away in the duck-weed before I recovered from my astonishment. After many turns, however, and much contention, the pliant little rod exhausted him. Thus encouraged, I fished the shaded pool its whole length as noise- lessly as an otter, and the result was a dozen very handsome Trout. I never passed that pool again without giving it the attention it merited. Sometimes on the subsiding of a freshet, Trout will sur- mount a long rapid, and rest in a pool, or the smooth flow of water above, where it is not a half yard in depth. Fish such water with as long a cast as possible, and so as not to throw your shadow over the swim. A brisk clattering little brook, as it rushes along over rocks and logs, througli the woods, washes out many a pretty hole in its sharp turns, and amongst the big stones, where the laurel and alders render casting impossible. The only way TROUT FLY-FISHING. gj-l here is, let tlie current carry your flies down stream, until the dropper bobs enticingly on the water. Play them on each side of the little rift, drawing them towards you and allowing them to drift off again. If there are fish in the hole they will be jumping at the dropper, or tugging at the stretcher. Three to one they will hook themselves ; if they don't, strike gently at each tug or jump, as if you were fishing with a bait, but not drawing your flies entirely from the water. I have taken good fish in the small tributaries of a larger stream in this way, the monarch of the rift always first, and his succes- sors in order, according to size. The head of a mill-dam, Avhere a rapid meets the back-water, is invariably a good place. I have already said or intimated, that on a bright day Trout will always rise better in the shade. Therefore when a pool is of equal depth across, one side of it may be better in the morning, and the other side in the afternoon. There are many good pools also which are not shaded on either side, or where persons pass frequently, or show themselves to the fish; here they scarcely rise until after sundown. Such places are often fished without success by an angler, and in a very short time one who follows him may have good sport. The largest fish are nearly always taken after the sun is down, or at least off the water. But of all places commend me in the still of the even- ing, to the long placid pool, shallow on one side, with deeper water and an abrupt overhanging bank opposite. Where the sun has shone all day, and legions of ephemera sported in its declining rays ; the bloom of the rye or clover scenting the air from the adjoining field ! Now light a fresh pipe, and put on a pale Ginger Hackle for your tail-fly, and a little white- winged Coachman for 3^our dropper. Then wade in cautiously — move like a shadow — don't make a ripple. W2 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK Cast, slowly, long, light ; let your stretcher sink a little. There he has taken the Ginger — lead him around gently to the shallow side as you reel him in, but don't move from your position — let him tug awhile, put your net under him, l)reak his neck, and slip him into your creel. Draw your line through the rings — cast again ; another, and another. Keep on until you can see only the ripple made by your fly ; or know when it falls, by the slight tremor it imparts through the whole line down to your hand — until the whip-poor-will begins his evening song, and the little water-frog tweets in the grass close by. — Not till then is it time to go home. If you have dined on the stream, it may be that the Trout you roasted were too highly seasoned and you are thirsty : if so, stop at the old spring by the roadside. CHAPTER XIII. SALMON-FISHING • 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. ' I love to see a man of care Take 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 boj-. ■ 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." CHAPTER XIII. SALMON-FISHING. Tackle used in Salmon-Fishixg. Rods.— Reels. — Reel-lines. — Castino-- lines. — Salmon-flies. — Materials required for Salmon-flies for American rivers. — Salmon-Flies for the rivers of Nevr Brunswick and Canada. — Theory and practice of Salmon-fishing. — Salmon-fishing compared vrith Trout-fishing. — Casting the fly. — The straight-forward cast, casting over the left shoulder, casting in difficult places, explained by diagrams. — Casting in an unfavorable wind. — Striking. — Playing a Salmon. — What a Salmon will do or may do. — Gaffing. Camping on the River. Camp equipage. — Protection against mos- quitoes, black-flies, and midges. — Clothing, &c. — Cooking utensils. — Stores. Cooking Salmon on the river.— To boil a Salmon.— To broil a Salmon. — Cold Salmon.— Soused Salmon. — To bake or steam a Grilse under the coals and ashes. — Kippered Salmon. — Smoked Salmon. — Law and Custom on the river. TACKLE FOR SALMON-FISHING. Rods. — A Salmon-rod should be of the toughest and most springy wood that can be procured. It should taper so truty. that its elasticity, or rather its tendency to bend, will be dis- tributed over its whole length, though in a diminishing ratio — from the point of the tip to the place where it is grasped above the reel. In a rod of true proportions, the greater the power applied or the weight it has to bear, the nearer will the apex of the curve caused by lifting the weight approach (345) 346 -^ ^i K '' r c A N A N a L E ir s boo k . the butt, and; as a consequence, the more the upper part will be relieved of the strain. To demonstrate this theorem, let any person who is curious on the subject, place a two or four ounce weight in his tobacco- pouch, and suspend it to the end of his line, after passing the line through the rings of a well-proportioned Salmon -rod, and he will find that the tip will bend, while the lower part of the rod will remain comparatively straight. Let him increase the weight to eight ounces, and the curve will be transferred to the next joint below, the tip assuming more the direction of a straight line. Then, by increasing the weight succes- sively to twelve and sixteen ounces, he will find that there is little or no curve in the tip, the additional weight having drawn it nearly or quite straight, and transferred the trans- verse strain proportionately towards the lower part of the rod, where it is strong. A rod of sixteen feet, which I deem sufficiently long, need not weigh over two pounds two ounces ; and one of seventeen feet should not exceed two pounds six ounces. Of the two, I prefer the smaller, on account of the ease in casting with it, for it is no boy's play to wield a heavy Salmon-rod for hours. The smaller has power enough to kill any Salmon. Tlie dimensions of such a rod, if in four pieces of equal length — measuring the diameter of the inside or " male" ferules as they come in order from the butt outward — shoidd be eleven, eight, and five-sixteenths of an inch, and the diameter of the butt half way between the ferule and lower end, seven- eighths of an inch ; the thickest part, where the reel-band is placed, say nine inches above the end, should be an inch and five- sixteenths. A seventeen-foot rod — supposing tlie butt and second joint each to be four feet six inches long, and the third joint and tip four feet — should have the two upper ferules the same S AL MO N-FISH[NO. 347 size as the smaller rod, and the lower ferule the sixteenth of an inch larger. The butt should be of the best coarse-grained white ash; the second joint of hickory or ironwood; the third of lance or ironwood ; and the tip of the best Malacca cane, rent and glued. The strain on a tip caused by the oft repeated lifting of a long line from the water, makes it neces- sary that it should be of material of the closest and hardest fibre ; for the weight of the line is not sufficient to throw the strain on the lower portion of the rod, as in killing a fish ; but the constant lifting of the line from the water preparatory to casting it, gives the top a downward swag in a week or two, which makes it necessary that the angler should provide himself with one or two extra tips. The advice of English authors, to have the rod-rings very large, that the line may pass through freely, shows a want of proper consideration ; for if there should be a knot or kink in the line, it would be certain to catch in passing through the wire loop at the end of the tip. The large size of the rings, therefore, would not provide for the contingency, while they are awkward and rattle in the wind, augmenting the resistance to the air in casting, and increasing the leverage on the rod when killing a Salmon. In making a couple of Salmon-rods for my own use, I went in direct opposition to this antiquated notion, and put on metallic guides like those on American bass rods, but lighter, and find them far preferable to rings. In fastening on the reel I use but one reel-band, which is stationary ; under this I slip one end of the brass plate to which the reel is fastened, and secure the other end with a string, so as to avoid the contingency of the sliding- band becoming tight by the expansion of the butt of the rod from moisture, as already explained in m^^ remarks on Trout rods. 348 A M E K I C A N A N (; L E R ' S BO 0 K. Reels. — A Salmon-reel should be large enougli to contain a hundred yards of line without filling the spool so full that it will clog. A simple reel is to be preferred to a multiplier, for several reasons ; an important one is that it is less apt to get out of order from the rough usage to which it is some- times subjected. One with the outer plates about three and three-quarters inches in diameter, and an inch and a half between the plates, is large enough. The click or bearing, which is arranged between one of the inner plates and the small outer plate next to it, should offer resistance enough to require about six ounces to draw the line from the reel. Of course there is an additional friction when the line passes through the rings of the rod and out through the tip ; and this is all the bearing that is required or safe to offer in con- trolling a Salmon, even when you are butting him to press him from a dangerous place, or towards the gaff as he becomes exhausted. The. best Salmon-reels have a smooth conical crank fastened in an outer plate, which revolves against the S A L M 0 N - F I S II I N G . 349 one next to the spool, the object being to prevent the line becoming entangled in the handle, which is apt to occur in one of the ordinary kind. The best reels of this kind I have ever met with, are those made by Farlow, of London. The figure on the opposite page gives a perspective view of one. Reel-Lines. — Those made of plaited silk, and prepared in linseed- oil, notwithstanding the original cost, are to be pre- ferred to all others. Those of silk and hair are liable to rot when exposed to the dew, if -they are left out at night, or when they are wound up wet and allowed to remain so. With care, an oiled silk line will last three or four years. After fishing, as much of it as has been wet should be drawn off the reel; and coiled or wound in such a manner as to dry. "When one end of an oiled line becomes soft from casting and passing through the rings of the rod after a summer's fishing, it may be taken off the reel, and the end which has been used wound next to the axle, the stiff' fresh end being outwards, next to the casting line. An unoiled plaited-silk line can be bought for half the price of an oiled one, and the angler can prepare it himself by the recipe, found in the note below, which I copy from Chitty.* I found, however, that the last * " To a quarter of a pint of ' doubled-boiled cold-drawn' linseed-oil, add about one ounce of gold-size. Gently warm and mix them well, being first careful to have the line quite dry. While the mixture is warm, soak it therein until it is fully saturated to its very centre ; say for twenty-four hours. Then pass it through a piece of flannel, pressing it sufficiently to take off the superficial coat, which enaJiles that which is in the interior to dry well, and, in time, to get stiff. The line must then be hung up in the air, wind, or sun, out of the reach of moisture, for about a fortnight, till nretty well dry. It must then be redipped to give an outer coat, for which less soaking is necessary : after this, wipe it again, but lightly ; wind it on a chair-back or towel-horse, before a hot fire, and there let it remain for two or three hours, which will cause the mixture on it to 'flow' (as 350 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. drying requires three or four times as long as tbe time he mentions. The gohl-size mentioned in the note can be had of those who sell painters' materials ; I have bought it of Mr. C. Shrack, in Fourth street above Cherry, Philadelphia. Casting-Lines should be of treble twisted gut, for the three gut-lengths next to the reel-line ; the next two or three lengths should be of double twisted gut, and the remainder of stout single gut, each length finer than the preceding one as it nears the end. Single gut is strong enough to hold any Salmon if properly handled, but the treble and double lengths and then the single length, graduate the line to a proper taper, thus increasing the ease and lightness in throwing the fly. When the water is discolored after a rise in the river, a casting-line of ten feet is long enough. As the water becomes clearer, the length should be gradually increased by adding lengths of single gut at the lower end, until it is nearly or quite as long as the rod. By doing so, one can cast a lighter line, and, of course, the probability of raising a Salmon will be greater than it would be by allowing the heavy reel line to fall or swing near the fish. Salmon-Flies. — There is an endless variety in tlu^ combi- nations and colors of the feathers, dubbing, and tinsel, that go to make up the Salmon-flies described in books and sold in tackle stores. Of the latter, many are made by persons who never saw a live Salmon, and are tied more to please the eye of the purchaser, than with any idea that they will entice japanners term it), and give an even gloss over the vrhole. It must then be left to dry as before : the length of time, as it depends on the weather and place, observation must determine upon. By this means it becomes impervious to wet and sufficiently stiff, never to clog or entangle — the oil profiucing the former quality, and the gold-size (which is insoluble in water) the latter ; while the commixture prevents the size becoming too hard and stiff." SALMON-FISHING. 35;[ tiio fish. Notwithstanding the ininute directions given for tying any particular fly, it must not be inferred that an imita- tion that lacks some of the tints, will not take fish. The main thing is to have the prevailing colors as near those of the fly described as possible ; if there is a slight difference in regard to the feathers that compose the wings or tail, when the exact feather cannot be had, it may still be a killing fly on the same kind of water, and on the same kind of a day. that the original is. Fresh-run Salmon are not over nice, and if the colors are at all suitable to the water, they will lay hold ; as to a certain fly being the fly for any water, to the exclu- sion of all others, it is sheer humbug. The first Salmon I ever killed was on a fly I tied before leaving home, from some idea T had of the water I was to fish, and from a general knowledge of the proper colors for Trout-flies. It Avas not intended as an imitation of any I had seen or read a descrip- tion of; and I continued to tie my own flies, and killed Salmon with them all summer, being guided in selecting the colors by the state of the water and the day, omitting the unimportant detail of a tag or feelers, and frequently not putting on a collar when indolent, or pushed for time. Very few of the flies imported ftom England and Ireland are suitable for the rivers of New Brunswick, being generally too large and shoAvy for those clear Avaters. The gaudy Irish flies tied for the Shannon would frighten the Salmon on this side of the Atlantic, while others A\^ould not be noticed by them. The profuse variety of beautiful but useless flies imposed on some of our verdant countrymen, Avith full pockets, by London and Dublin tackle-makers, is astonishing. An accomplished Salmon-fisher of St. John, with whom I had the pleasure of fishing for two weeks last summer, had only two standard flies for the Mirimichi and Nipissiguit ; one the " Blue-and-broAvn," the other the " Sih^er-gray ;" — the 352 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK latter for high water. The Blue-and-brown, by tying vvitli darker-tinted hackles and bodies, as the water clears, he uses almost entirely. He told me he fished the Lakes of Killarney, and the clear rivers of Ireland, with the same flies in his boy- hood, and he still adheres to them : his favorite, the Blue-and- brown, has become so famous amongst the anglers of the province, that it has taken his name, the " Nicholson fly." Flies for American rivers — except when the water is dis- colored by a freshet — as a general rule, should be of darker and more sober tints than those used in Scotland and Ireland. The feathers to be preferred for wings, are taken from the wing-coverts of the male mallard, the tail of the wild turkey, and the second joint of the wing, and tail of a dark -brown mottled hen, or spruce grouse ; the two last are for small flies, and Avill raise a Salmon on fine water when nothing else will. For full water, or when it is discolored, wood-duck and gray mallard are used, mixed occasionally with a few fibres of red ibis, or a single topping of golden pheasant. The bodies of those that have dark wings should be of red, brown, and purple dubbing, of different shades, varied occa- sionally with orange, yellow, and black, and wrapped with hackles of the same colors. Sometimes two hackles of differ- ent color, as red and blue, are used. The bodies and hackles of flies for high water should be of light colors to correspond with the wings : of these, pale yellow, pearl color, and light gray are most suitable. This limited assortment of feathers for wings, and hackles and dubbing for bodies, is all that one requires on the rivers of New Brunswick. Add to these, black ostrich and copper- colored peacock hurl, for collars; a dozen or so of golden pheasant breast -feathers for tails ; gold and silver tinsel — flat and twisted ; tying silk, wax, and a little varnish to ])iit on SALMON-FISIir N 0. 353 the heads to protect them, and the list of fly-materials for a trip is complete. Tying Salmon-flies is an art which is easily acquired by those who are at all proficient in making Trout-flies ; they hardly require as delicate manipulation. I saw some very rudimentary-looking flies tied by the natives about Bathurst, that were killing at the " Rough Waters" on the Nipissiguit, last summer. The annexed plate was drawn and engraved on wood, under my direction, by Mr. Wilhelm of this city. It repre- sents four flies ; the killing qualities of the first two I tested last summer. No. 1 represents the Brown Fly. It is a plain little fly, on a No. 9 * hook, and intended for low water. Wings of the dark mottled feather of a brown hen, or wild turkey's tail ; bodj^ of copper-colored peacock hurl (four plumelets twirled and twisted around the wrapping-silk to make it secure), wound with gold thread, and a dark brown or purple hackle, and tipped with gold tinsel ; tail a few sprigs of the same feather as the wings ; collar of black ostrich hurl. No. 2 represents the "Nicholson." Hook, No. 8. Wings of brown mallard; body of blood-red seal's fur, wrapped with gold tinsel, and a blue, and a blood-red hackle, and tipped with gold tinsel ; tail of mallard, and a few sprigs of golden pheasant breast-feathers ; collar, black ostrich hurl. The dubbing and hackle of this fly should be of deeper tint, as the water becomes clearer. The angler, whose name it bears, in tying it gives the tail and wings an upright set, which it retains to the last, giving it a peculiarly gay appear- * The standard of sizes for hooks here mentioned, correspond with the numbers on the plate of Hooks, page 65. 23 354 A M E R I C A >^ ANGLER'S BOOK ance, as the reader will observe. The figure is an exact drawing of one tied by Mr. N. himself. The Silver Gray, which Mr. N. ties on hooks No. 6 and 7, is intended for high water, or when it is discolored after a freshet. It has wings of gray mallard and a few sprigs of wood-duck; body of lead or pearl-colored seal's wool mixed with a little yellow, and wound with silver tinsel and a gray or barred hackle ; tag and collar of ostrich hurl. It is not represented by either of the four figures, but in form resem- bles No. 2. Nos. 3 and 4 are exact copies of Nos. 11 and 12, found in the " Book of the Salmon." I have introduced them here to show what is meant by "feelers," and to explain what a '' topping" is. The former are intended to represent the pair of long antennae found in a natural fly ; they are folded back- ward in the artificial fly, extending above and beyond the wings. The tail and upper portion of the wings of the third figure are " toppings," that is, feathers from the crest of the golden pheasant. In addition to the flies I have described, there are several tied by John Chamberlain that are in great repute on the Nipissiguit. Amongst them is one which I will describe as the '' Chamberlain." In tying it (commencing at the bend of the hook) the body is first tipped with gold tinsel, the tail is then tied on, and the lower part of the body, say one-fourth of the way up, is wrapped with bright yellow floss, when a blood-red hackle, and purple or maroon-colored floss are fastened in, and the dark floss wrapped on for the remainder of the body, followed by the gold tinsel and the hackle (four turns are enough). Brown mallard or wild-turkey wings are then put on, and it is finished with a collar of black ostrich hurl. The first fly 1 tied of this kind, was according to 'V ay 356 AMERICAN A N G L E K ' S B 0 0 K . of very- dark claret silk with gold twist ; head black ostrich ; tail golden pheasant topknot, hackle dark claret ; legs blue, with a tip of yellow and gold. " The Straclian. — Mixed wing chiefly of golden pheasant tail, yellow macaw, and jay's wing ; body of crimson silk with gold twist ; head black ostrich ; tail golden pheasant 5 black hackle with jay's wing ; legs tip yellow and gold. " The Langevin. — Wings, body, tail, hackle, legs, tip all yellow ; made of the dyed feathers of the white goose ; the head of black ostrich, and the twist of black silk." Casting the Fly. — As bait-fishing or trolling can scarcely be called a sportsmanlike way of killing Salmon, I shall confine my observations to angling for them only with the artificial fly. In my remarks on Trout-fishing I have alluded to the im- possibility of learning how to cast the fly well from written directions alone. One may get the theory ever so well in his head — and good theory too — when he comes to try his hand, however, there are so many things he must remember to do just at the nick of time, and so many contingencies which he did not look for, constantly arising, that he will likely recollect no more of the lessons he has learned from books than some general directions, and Avill depend i-ather on his own judgment and native aptness. This is more the case in Salmon-fishing even than in casting the fly for Trout. I do not mean to convey the idea that the written directions are useless ; on the contrary, they are of much service when combined with some practical knowledge of the art. It would, therefore, be well for the beginner to learn all he can from books, and not discard his theory entirely, if not approved of by anglers, whose instruction he may have the benefit of on the river. A little experience will show him that he may combine the teachings of the two, and profit by both. S A h M 0 N - F I S H I N G . 357 Although I had been a Trout flj-fisher for a quarter of a century and had gained, as I thought, much knowledge from Chitty, Scrope, and " Ephemera" (and there is no better authority than the last), I must confess that I received more instruction last summer in a few days from the hints and suggestions of John Chamberlain, an unlettered canoe-man, than I had from books in many years ; though still adhering to the teachings of ''Ephemera" in opposition to John, on points which were in accordance with my own notions. I have heard anglers say that Salmon-fishing is only Trout- fishing on a grand scale. There is much truth in the remark, for a person who can cast well for Trout, will soon acquire the knack of throwing the fly for Salmon. But in several important points there is a difference, for Salmon do not often lie in that part of a pool where the angler would h:>ok for Trout. He moreover fishes for Salmon with only one fly, and displays it differently — mostly beneath the surface. I offer these hints not with a view of enlightening Salmon- fishers of experience, but with the hope that they may be of some service to beginners v/ho have not access to the authors I have mentioned, or who may not fall into as good hands in their first attempts as I did. A few words in the first place as to holding the rod. — A right-handed man will naturally grasp it with the right hand above the reel, and with his left hand below at the end of the butt ; and will throw from over the right shoulder. The left- handed man will do the reverse, that is, grasp with his left hand above the reel and cast from the left shoulder. A right- handed man will advance his right foot in casting, and a left- handed man his left foot. Supposing then that the great majority of men are right-handed, I will shape my hints accordingly. The first thincr ig to o-et out as much line as one intends 358 - M E R I C A N ANGLER'S B 0 0 K . making his first cast with ; this is done as in Trout-lishing. To describe it, we Avill suppose that the angler approaches the stream, the hook chisping one of the bars of the reel (the usual way of carrying it), his line consequently (or as much as has passed through the rings) the same length as his rod, or nearly so. He disengages his fly, throws it on the water, and draws a few feet of line off the reel ; the line falling in a loop between the reel and the ring next above it. Now by switching his rod to the right or left — his fly dragging the mean time in the water — the slack line which hangs in a loop is pulled through the rings, and out at the end of the tip ; lengthening the line, by so much. This is repeated until he has drawn the point of the rod around so far to one side that he is obliged to lift the line from the water and throw it further out, in order to continue the operation. Thus by pulling the line from the reel, and consecutively switching the rod, the required length is obtained. Of course this pre- liminary operation is not done in the direction in which the fish are supposed to lie. Now, with a smart spring of the rod, the angler lifts his fly from the water to make the first cast, and directs its course backwards over his right shoulder until he thinks it has nearly reached the distance the line will allow it to go behind him; then Avith a steady forward motion, succeeded by a switch of the rod, he sends it on its errand across the smoothly- gliding water, that it may float or swing over the current and entice the silver-sided Salmon with its sheen and life-like look. In this plain, straiglitforward throw, the top of the rod describes nearly an arc in its backward course, and the chord of the same arc in its forward course ; in other words, the backward course is a curve, and the forward a straight line. The left figure of the cut on page- 62, gives a bird's-eye S A L M 0 N - F I S H I N G . 359 Yiew of the line the point of the rod describes ; the dotted line is the course the % takes, O the place where the angler stands, and the large arrow the course of the river. It is hard to fix the exact time that the particular spring which sends the fly far and straight, is imparted to the rod; it is somewhere about the time it is vertical, or perhaps just before that time, in its forward movement. A person, though, as he acquires the knack of casting, will find it out, though he may not be able to describe it. As in Trout-fishing, the learner is apt to labor hard in casting, using much more force than is required, until he gets the habit of making the rod perform neatly, what he, by mere physical effort, would do clumsily. Another thing that he has learned in Trout-fishing will also be of service to him ; it is that lowering of the point of the rod the least hit, by the mere downward bending of the wrist of his right hand, as the fly reaches its destination, causing it to fall lightly on the water, instead of striking it with a splash. There is a way of sending the fly straight out, as if aiming at something above the surface, say on a level with one's shoulder, and easing it off in the manner just described, which is the per- fection of casting. It requires much practice to acquire it. The manner of getting more line out as one successively increases the length of his cast, is by drawing a few feet from the reel before raising his fly from the water, and as the rod is drawn backward, the slack goes out through the wire loop at the end of the tip. The fly is generally cast directly or obliquely across the stream, the current, or a proper inclination of the rod, or the two combined, bringing it over the place where the fish lie. After the fly has fallen on the water, it is acted upon-by two opposing forces — the tendency of the current to take it down stream, and the raising of the point of the rod to restrain or 360 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK direct it ; the result is, that the fly swings across the stream towards the side on which the angler stands, describing in its course the segment of a circle, and sweeping along in front of the fish. By increasing the length of the cast directl}^ or obliquely across, as just described, the radius is lengthened, and the segment enlarged and of course extended down stream, as well as across. In this manner, that portion of the pool within reach of the angler is gradually covered; then, by advancing a step at a time, or by short successive pushes of the canoe, he fishes the whole of it, or as much as can be covered from the side he is on. The fibres of the feathers of which the fly is composed, are made to contract and expand as it passes through the water, by the least possible raising and dropping of the point of the rod, in order to show the fly attractively. This, however, cannot be done effectually, if the current is so strong as to press the fibres continually against the body of the fly, not allowing them to open w^hen the top of the rod is lowered. The general rule laid down by " Ephemera," in his Book of the Salmon, for fishing a pool '' upwards in the direction of its source," appears to me entirely wrong. It is impracti- cable on many American rivers, from the rapidity of the cur- rent. He ignores his own rule, however, in a remark on a preceding page of his book, when speaking of the motion to be given to the fly in draAving it through the water. He says, "the Salmon-fly is always to be worked or humored against the current, never with it." How the angler is to humor the fly against the current, w^hen drawing it ivith the current, I leave him to find out. As to fishing up stream, it may do where the current is slight, but in swift water it should only be when there is no cast but from the lower end of the pool. SALMON-FISHING. 3{}1 The Left-Shouldeked Cast. — It frequently occurs, in fishing down either side of a river, that an abrupt bank rises immediately at the angler's back. If on the right side of the river, such an obstruction makes it necessary to cast from over the left shoulder ; for in making the ordinary right-shouldered cast, the high bank would prevent the backward motion of the rod and the backward sweep of the line. In casting from over the left shoulder, it is not necessary, as ''Ephemera" directs, to shift one's hands ; that is, to grasp the rod above above the reel with the left, and the end of the butt with the right hand, and make an awkward attempt, for the time, to become a left-handed man. A much easier plan is not to shift the hands at all, but, keeping them as they are, to bring the line backward over the left shoulder, and cast from the left side. This way of casting, though it may appear awkward at first, will become quite easy after a little practice, especially to one who is used to whipping over the left shoulder for Trout. The middle figure of the diagram on the next page shows the line described by the top of the rod in the left- shouldered cast ; the dotted line represents the course of the fly ; 0 is the stand of the angler. A greater difficulty than that just described is to be over- come, when one wishes to cast directly across the stream., and a precipitous bank or clifi' rises immediately behind his back, and, it may be, also on his left hand. In this case he has first to get his fly out, down stream ; the current Avill assist him somewhat. Then lifting it with a smart twitch of the rod, he brings it back (but not too far) over the left shoulder, and suddenly facing the desired spot, casts with a short abrupt spring of the rod in that direction. A bird's- eye view of the course described by the top of the rod in this throw is represented by the right-hand figure of the cut. The largest arrow points down stream. B is the point from which the fly is picked up, and A the direction in which it is cast. ;it)2 A M K III (• A N AN (3 1, K II 'S H () 0 K ^CC^'yCHf e,:/ \'/: iV-l; .. 1^! r^ %. f^^ •i& >' Al'liM' pi'Mclisiiii.!,' lln'S(^ two t'M-Kts loi' souu" vt^iu's wlioiiovor I.Ik* iMiuM'L;on('v riNpiiiHMl it. in M^-oiil -iisliiiiL!,'. 1 \v;is ni^'iXHnibly sur[)i-is(Ml ill iwidiiii;' ('liillv's (" Tln'opliilus Soiitirs'') " l^'ly- l<'isluM-'s 'I\\\l.-l>ot>k." li) liiul iJuMii illii,^h';H(Ml, ;iinl lin.vo iiitiH)- tliu'nl \\\r nhovo ili;i_L;,'i';im. wliivli is soniowli.it similar, to show tlint l.lir s;uiic cnsts i';in 1)(^ iisrd in Salmon lisliiirLi,". 'IMuM'i* liVc otluM" ol)sl;u'los ;ni(l impiMlinuMils tlio Snlmoii- lisluM- nu^Ms willi. wliicli \\r will havo to hrar patimillv or ()V(M-('oiiu* as \V(>II as \\c can. Amoii'^st. l-lu\S(\ tlu^rc^ is notliiui^ so ainio\-ini;' as an nnla\'oi'al)lo wind. At. oiu* timo it ma3'' blow ohstina.toly in yonr vm-y tciMh, i-iNiniiam^- a iloal ol' "olhow- ^»;rojiso'' t.o got tlio (ly on I. At. anollnM* timo iIkmh^ is a spank- iiii;- hi-oozo JistcM-n. ami if yon can L;t't yoni' lir.(> ont Ix^liind yon. lluMv iwc man\' cliancos (^1" crack ing your lly olV. Tlicn tluM'c is a si(I(* wind blowing;- np stream or down stream, iWjniriiii;' a nice calcnlal ion as to liow mncli yon must alKnv tor UH'waw when aiminL;" above i^v l)elow tlu' spot, as the case may ho. At such times. unh\^s tlu> tish ai'c very mnch ilis- posed to rise, "tin* i^ame (h>es not pay I'or the candle." and the tisher had biMtiM- i;-(>t into some sheltenMl nook anil liL;ht. liis pipe, insteatl o[' thrashing' tlu> wintl and o(Mting n[> a Icidino oi' animosity ai-ainst ohl Bort^as or ..Molus. S A L M 0 N - F r t^ in N (3 . 303 S.'ilinon IVtMiuonLlv \vn\) iibovc t-lic wnicr ;ts il' in |)l;i.y or l.o inhale a,n ;i(l(liti()n;il (piaiilily o\' iitiuosplKM'ic. air; at. siic.li titiu's llicy ;\vc. not dispostMl lo tak(^ your (ly. 1)111, vvlion one. isol>soi'VO(l t.o I'isi^ ai a iialiiral llv — Jind tJuM-o an^ xcry few ol' iJioso on a S;ilinon v'wcv — tho a,nL;-l(M' may o\|)(U',1, a, rise, a.lso ill. his (*.ouiiti>r(iMl.. 'VUv. h'.ii,L:,-l,li of line tlial. ca,!! be ('a.st, (i('|)(Mi(ls niiicli on iJn; lon.u,"tli and s|)rin, snhjiM',!. ^ive as the disl,a.ne(^ \.]\-,d ea,n he e;isl, with |)i\M'.ision ;ind li<^hlju;ss, bnl, \vil,li a, niod(U^ate lair winol is ,L!,'enera,lIy' dilTerimt I'rom l,he wa.ter in which 'I'roiit, are Ibnnd. Not in tlie shad(> ol' l,rees overha,n<:; in^ii,' a, si ill pool, where a eoolinL;' spring- hi'aneh Irieldes in; not in th(3 tossing, tronbhMl hea,d of a, I'iil ; nor ollen in the. edd i(\s tha,t whirl in eireles at il,ssi(h\s; nor in its b.ack' vva.ter. But in th(^ (hu'p smooth ra,pi,rmina.l,es in a a,dditional fon^e, at such tiuK;. 1 have had the mortiiicatioii on more than one occasion, of seeing a good iish, after he was fairly corupKU'ed, rid himself of the hook by a lazy wollop, or a wa,ve/ of its l)r()a,d tail, and sink to the bottom (»i' move slowly away. Some writers give directions as to what part of the body S A L M 0 N -B^ I fc5 II I N G . 3(57 a Salmon should be gaffod in. 'Vho first obj<3ct. should be to gaff it somewhere, and even this is not always easy ; though it sometimes happens that a fish is brought near shore, i|:K!ll(;d in iriany places to cast from a canoe, he shouhl fight his fish Irom the shore if practicable. It is always necessary to land either on the shore, or on a rock at some convenient place in the river, to bring him within reach of the gaff. In tlie foregoing, I have su[)[)os(3d a ease — a common one — as to how a Salmon may act, and endea.vored to give the unin- itiated some idea how the case shoidd b(^ treated ; but ther(i is no telling what a Salmon when fidly alarmed will dcx At one moment he may be jum])ing, at the next running towards you, towing the slack line as it bags behind him, when it is necessary to run backwards if he comes faster than you can wind up. Or he may turn his })rowdown stream, and with his powerCul pr()[)eller, to which tlu; flang(3S of t-he Ericsson screw are as nothing (when compared with the size of tJu; body to be moved), and get headway enough to run out your whole line, if you do not follow fast. And th(3n there is thai desperate sawing and jerking of the head wlum the gentlest hand is required ; or, he may dart around a boulder and double towards you, getting a dead pull, (n- foid the casting- line in a drift-log, and snap it lik'e a cobweb; or saw it against the sharp edge of a sunken roci^', or go over a higli pitch, while you hav(.^ to run along the rocky bank,. or shooi the rapid in a frail canoe; or he mav snlk on the bottom, wlien you have to throw in stones, oi- the canoe-man poke at him with his setting-pole. But why attempt to describe what a Sahuon may or will do? ;^(j3 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BO 0 K CAMPING ON THE RIVER. The next tiling in importance to tlie angler, after sport, is his comfort on the river; he would therefore do well to bestow some thought on the subject before leaving home. His tent; his stores, his clothing, protection against mosquitoes, midges, and black flies, &c., are all matters that require care and foresight. Camp Equipage. The Tent. — The most convenient size for the accommodation of one person, though it might answer for two, is an eight-foot tent ; that is, eight feet long, eight feet wide, and eight feet high, to the ridge-pole. There should be an opening at each end, to create a draft of air through it; it should also be provided with a "fly." which, in addition to being a double roof to the tent, can be stretched over inclined poles, and used as a shelter for the canoe-men, when one's stay is of short duration at a station where there is no bark-shed. To shed the rain well, the roof of the tent should have an inclination of not less than forty degrees; and to have room inside and allow a suitable elevation to the mosquito-bar, which is arranged on one side of it, the walls should be three and a half feet high. The best material for a tent of this kind is American cotton drill, weighing eight ounces to a yard, the goods being thirty-three inches wide. At most of the fishing-stations on Salmon rivers frequented by anglers, bark sheds have been erected at difterent times, and, as a matter of mutual interest, they are kept in repair by the canoemen. They are more suitable to sit or eat in, more convenient, with an impromptu table before you, to tie flies in, and even more comfortable to sleep in, with the usual loo; fire in front. Many persons prefer a bed of spruce boughs, and, to protect themselves thoroughly from the moisture of the ground, SALMON-FISHING. 3(3^ spread over the boughs an India-rubber blanket or a bufftilo- robe. If one wishes to sleep above the gi-ound, a stretcher can be used. This is simply a piece of heavy linen canvas, six feet long by two and a half or three feet wide, with a hem of six inches on each side. A pole of suitable size and length is thrust through each hem, and the ends of the poles are supported by forked stakes, a foot or so above the ground, or by stout logs, one at the foot and the other at the head, with notches cut in them. When the camp is moved, the poles are drawn out of the hems, and the stretcher packed with the tent. To support the mosquito-bar, stakes three or four feet long are driven into the ground at each of the four corners of the stretcher ; and the bar is suspended by means of rings which slide along a stout cord extending from stake to stake on each side. The bar can be pushed to the head or foot of the bed by this means, Avhen convenience requires it. As the nights are generally cold, even in summer, in the regions of Salmon, two thick blankets — one to sleep on, and another to cover one's self with — v.dll be required. One will answer if you have a buffalo robe. Protection against Mosquitoes, Black-Flies, and Midges. — The angler frequently finds these pests of the wilderness so annoy- ing in daytime as to detract seriously from the pleasure of his sport. At night they are intolerable without a ''smudge," so long as he sits up, and a good mosquito-bar after he has gone to bed. In daytime, the best protection is a veil for the face, and gauntlets for the hands. The best material for a veil is a thin cheap stiffened cotton fabric called "tarleton;" it is much lighter than barege, more open than silk tissue, and cooler than either, as it admits the air freely. It is also more suitable for a mosquito-bar than the article in general use, as the spaces between the threads of this fabric are small enough to exclude even black-flies. 24 370 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. The veil should be made in the shape of a bag, but open at each end, about fifteen or eighteen inches long, and two oi' two and a half feet in circumference. A piece of fine gum- elastic cord is run in the hem at the top to clasp the body of the hat, while a similar cord in the hem at the bottom secures it around the neck ; the rim of the hat keeps it out from the face. The bottom of the veil can be lifted somewhat, and the stem of a pipe stuck in the mouth when one wants to smoke. Gauntlets can be made by sewing linen cuffs to a pair of easy old kid gloves ; a piece of gum-elastic cord run in a hem at the top of the cuff, clasping the arm under the coat -sleeve. Last summer, I found a veil and gauntlets of this description effectually to keep out these unwelcome visitors. Different lubricating compounds have been recommended as preventives : among these are tar and sweet-oil, coal-oil, creosote and oil, and oil of pennyroyal. The latter is the cleanest, is not offensive, and is most convenient to carry ; it should be diluted with sweet-oil, as it is extremely volatile. The Canadians make a " smudge" to drive off" the mosquitoes and flies, which is not only movable, but has a pleasant odor, not unlike that of the incense burnt in Catholic churches. It is made by beating strips of dry bark of the white cedar, and binding them into bundles four or five inches in diameter and two or three feet long. One of these bundles will burn for five or six hours, gradually smouldering away, and emit- ting a pretty stream of blue smoke. It is convenient to place by one's side at mealtime, or when reading or tying flies. I will not endeavor to anticipate by description, the interest with which the novice will mark the skill and readiness of the man of the woods, in the use of his paddle and pole, his axe and his knife, and the various materials and appliances he so aptly finds in the forest, for making rude tables, benches, stools, beds, baskets, buckets, kc. SAL M 0 N - F r S II I N G . 371 Clothing, <&c. — One requires strong warm clothing on the river ; he should not be without a good jacket to come to the hips, two pairs of heavy woollen pantaloons, two warm flannel shirts, two or three pairs of stout yarn socks (" Shaker" socks are best), a change of such underclothes as he wears in this climate in winter, and two pairs of good lace-boots ; one pair of the latter should be sparsely studded with wrought-iron hob-nails, in case he may wish to wade at times. He should avoid glaring colors in his dress ; light-gray is the most suitable. His wallet should include thread and needles, awl, waxed- ends, shoemakers' wax, a few hob-nails, coarse and fine twine, a pair of small pliers, a file, a spring-balance to weigh his fish, court-plaster, a box of Seidlitz powders, shellac varnish, prepared glue, and boiled linseed-oil ; the last three in vials as large as the end of one's thumb. Cooking Utensils. — The cooking utensils and table furniture are an iron pot and kettle, a coffee-pot, a folding wire fish-broiler, three or four tin plates and as many tin cups to fit into each other ; pewter spoons, pepper-boxes, knives and forks, &c. If the angler has in view easy transportation and snug stowage, and Avoald diminish the hard work to which his canoe-men are subjected in poling against a strong current, and in making difficult portages, he will not take barrels or cumbersome trunks into a birch canoe, but pack his provi- sions, as many of them as he can, in bags, his clotlies in carpet or India-rubber wallets, and his camp equipage in bundles. Stores. — Camping out, to be enjoyed with zest, should be attended with as few home luxuries as a person can well do with ; still, some of those that pertain to his table, add greatly to the edibility of the food he gets by rod or gim, when continual feeding on it begins to cloy the appe- 372 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. tite. A moderate assortment of such things might include vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salad-oil, essence of coffee or " caffeine," solidified milk, a small quantity of desiccated meats and vegetables for soup and pottage, and a box of claret^ if it can be carried, for, as I have before remarked, there is nx> beverage like it with fresh fish. The stores that go to make the real staff of life are pork,, ship -bread, potatoes, onions, beans, salt, pepper, butter, tea. sugar, &c. It may be asked, Why such a profusion ? or it might be said that fresh Salmon is good enough ; and so it is ; but one becomes satiated with it after a while, and longs for some of the common things he ate at home. The canoe- men will not forget their tobacco, and should be sure to have a pound or two of rosin to patch and stop up the cracks in their canoe. Cooking Salmon. — On the river there is a variety of ways of cooking or preparing Salmon for the table. The following- are a few simple receipts : — To boil Salmon. — Have a sufficient quantity, but not too much water, boiling briskly with a good handful of salt in it. Cut oft* a piece of fish of suitable size, notch it to the bone, put it into the pot, cover it up close, and give it from ten to twenty minutes, according to its size. Serve it up hot, with some of the liquor left after boiling. To broil Salmon. — Cut steaks across the fish, or, if length- wise, let the pieces include some of the fat glutinous portions of the belly ; lay them between the folds of the wire fish- broiler; turn it often, and be careful not to overdo them. When served up, the dish should be placed on a flat hot stone, and your plate also, if you prefer ; butter the fish well while hot, and season it to your liking. Cold Salmon. — Put aside part of the fish boiled for dinner, and eat it cold for supper ; it is extremely delicate. S A L M 0 N - F r S H I N G . 373 Soused Salmon. — Take a piece of boiled Salmon, and puis it in a pan with due proportions of salt, red pepper, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce or walnut catsup, and salad-oil ; let it stand five or six hours, and eat it cold ; it is very appetizing. To bake a Grilse. — Scale and wash it outside, but let no water touch the inside. Score or notch it to the bone, season it by rubbing the inside and the gashes with plenty of pepper and salt, wrap it in a single envelope of buttered paper, and then in a half-dozen folds of coarse straw paper ; saturate it thoroughly in water, press it slightly between the hands, and then lay it in a bed of hot coals and ashes, and cover it up. A Grilse of three pounds should be left in about twenty minutes, and one of four pounds five or ten minutes longer. In serving it up, take off the paper covering, lay it on a flat hot stone, and butter it while hot. Grilse are generally split and broiled or planked like Shad. ''Kippered Salmon' is excellent, especially for breakfast, when one becomes somewhat satiated with fresh fish. The canoe-men all understand the process of kippering fish. The Salmon is split along the back, and the bone taken out ; it is then thoroughly peppered and salted inside and out, and spread out and pressed between two pieces of birch bark laid on the ground ; if it is intended for immediate use, from twelve to twenty-four hours is sufficient. It is then spread open by means of flat slats of cedar, hung up by the tail, and dried in the sun and air for a day or two. . When one intends taking kippered Salmon home with him, they should be taken out of press, and salted a second time, and exposed to the sun for at least a week or ten days. A dozen Salmon prepared for me in this way by Peter Chamberlain, whilst at the Grand Falls on the Nipissiguit last summer, were packed at Bathurst in a box, with layers of birch bark between them, and were brought home with my luggage in excellent (Audition. 374 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOR When you get home, it is necessary to soak a piece in water from four to twelve hours (according to the length of time it has been kept) before broiling, in order to soften it and get some of the salt out. When Salmon are smoked, they are first put in a strong pickle of brine for twenty -four hours, or salted and pressed between pieces of bark, as already described, and then stretched with slats, and smoked with chips of '' hard wood" (maple, birch, &c.) in a bark hut built for the purpose. It requires a longer time to smoke fish than to kipper them, and unless a person has time to give them at least two weeks in the smoke- house, he had better not attempt to carry them home, if the distance is more than three or four days' journey. Law and Custom on the River. — Although there is no law, properly speaking, on a river which is free to all, still there are rules of right and courtesy that obtain, or at least which should be observed, amongst anglers. A discreet angler will not consent that his party shall consist of more than two, including himself. Two are company for each other ; if there are more, a smaller propor- tion of the fishing falls to each rod, while sociality is not increased. It is the custom to apportion the pools of a station as fairly as possible between the rods ; and to make the division more equitable, and to prevent the monotony of one angler fishing the same set of pools every day, they are shifted ; that is, the rod that occupied one set on one day will take the other set the next day, and vice versa. The plan of changing the pools at noon on each day is sometimes adopted, so that the new occupant, if he thinks the pools have been fished too persistently by his predecessor, can rest them that afternoon, and have them all the fresher the next morning. Such a course is frequently adopted with great advantage to one who Ibllows an over-industrious and indiscreet angler. S A L M 0 N - F I S H I N G . 375 A proper regard for the rights of his successors, though, will always restrain a considerate, tair fisher in such cases, how- ever ardent a sportsman he may be. I have seen a Salmon- fisher continue to whip a pool under a bright glaring sun, long after the fish had shown the least disposition to rise, and even hand the rod to one of his canoe-men, to give it a more thorough thrashing, because his right to the pool would pass to his successor in an hour or two. A specimen of this style of Salmon-fisher I met at the Grand Falls of the Nipissiguit, last summer. A fat, short-winded little Englishman fi'om Manchester, who talked largely of the moor-fowl (?) he had bagged on the Derbyshire hills, and the number of Salmon he had killed in a single afternoon in Scotland. He was care- ful of his comfort, and generally had his bottle of claret or a well-filled flask with him on the river-side, and took it easily, while one of his canoe- men (an expert) would thrash the water industriously until he hooked a Salmon, and then hand him the rod to kill it ; reversing the custom of the Highland laird Avho hooks his own fish, and hands the rod to his ser- vant. His plea for enjoying the sport by proxy was, that -' he could not come the left-shouldered cast" (which was necessary in fishing some fine pools from the right bank of that river), or that he " wanted Francis to limber his new rod." I am not aware of the exact proportion of his catch, the canoe- man hooked for him, perhaps half, perhaps three -fourths ; he set them all down however in his memorandum-book, as the product of his own skill. His canoe-man afterwards quietly remarked to me, with a broad grin, that the little man would have hooked more Salmon, if he had handled them properly after he (the said Francis) had hooked them for him. The companion of this gentleman was j ust his opposite : a young Scotchman, who, thous-h he had never fished for Salmon 376 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. before, cast a fly admirably^ and hooked his own lish, and killed them in a masterly manner. Very few fishing-stations Avill " carry" more than two rods, and new comers, finding such water occupied, generally refrain from intruding, and seek other grounds. It frequently happens, though, at some famous place — I would instance the Grand Falls of the Nipissiguit — that the new comers have travelled a long distance, and there is no station beyond. If the stream is free to all, there is no gainsaying their right to stop and fish ; but the privilege of dividing the pools is generally conceded to the first occupants, and it would be a breach of courtesy and fair dealing in those who come last, to wet a line without consulting them. When pools have been over-fished, a mutual agreement to rest them for a day or tAVO, or every alternate day, results beneficially to all. Such course is frequently resorted to. W # CHAPTER XIV. SALMOX EIYERS OF THE BRITISH PROVINCES. ' Thou pausest not in thine allotted task. 0 darkling River! through the night I liear Thy wavelets rippling on the pebbly beach, 1 hear thy current stir the rustling sedge That skirts thy bed. Thou intermittest not Thine everlasting journey, drawing on A silvery train from many a woodland spring And mountain brook." Bryant. CHAPTER XIV. SALMON-RIVERS OF THE BRITISH PROVINCES. Salmon-Rivers of Lower Canada. — Salmon-rivers emptying into or tributary to rivers flowing into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Salmon-Rivers of New Brunswick. — Mirimichi. — Ristigouche.— Meta- pediac— Cascapediacs. — Bonaventure. — Tittigouche.— Nipissiguit. SALMON-RIVERS IN LOWER CANADA. The following extract from "Salmon-Fishing in Canada," (a book to whicli I have before had occasion to refer), is so full of information as regards the rivers of the provinces, and the laws and rules respecting Salmon-fisheries, that I quote the article at length : — " The following list includes the principal Salmon-rivers and Sea-Trout streams which discharge into the Saint Law- rence and Saguenay Rivers, along the north-east or Labrador coast, between the province boundary eastwards (Blanc Sablon), and the river Jacques Cartier, above Quebec ; also those emptying upon the south or eastern shore of the Saint Lawrence, and others flowing easterly into the Bay of Chaleurs. "In addition there are many other bay, cove, and inlet stations along these extensive coasts, but which are disposable chiefly as sedentary net-fishings for Salmon and Trout. " The immediate expiry of the lease of that vast territory commonly known as 'The King's Posts,' opens up to the (379) 380 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK public competition numerous valuable coast-fisheries (such as Tadousac, Seven Islands, &c.); besides many famous Salmon- rivers and sea-trout streams, and renders disposable certain commodious building establishments long occupied as fur- trading posts, by the Honorable Hudson's Bay Com.pany, at the mouths of the most important of these fine rivers. "ST. PAUL'S. " North Shore. Discharge into River St. Lawrence. Esquimaux . Corkewetpeeche Ste. Augustine Sheep Bay . Little Meccatina Netagamu Napeteteepe . Etamamu Coacoacho Romaine Musquarro Kegashka Gt. Natashqnau Agwanish Pashasheeboo Mingan Manitou Saint John Magpie Saw Bill Manitou Formerly yielding 52,500 Sal- Contains steady run of Sal- Fine Salmon-river, men each season. Neighboring stream, mon. Well supplied with Salmon. Considerable size. Good Salmon-fishery station. Discharges large body of water by several channels. Fine Salmon-river. Large, deep stream. High falls inside. Swarms of Trout. Salmon ascending it only to the falls. Empties into spacious bay. Abounds with Sal- mon. Celebrated for its Salmon-fishery. Discharges into fine basin. Good Salmon-river. Large, but shoal stream. Salmon abound. Is re- markable for a rare, beautiful, and flavorous quality of white or silver Trout. Bold, rapid river. Aflfords fine Salmon-fishing with fly. Good net-fishery station. • Salmon abundant — steep rapids impeding their ascent. Fishery in bay. Famous stream. Salmon of finest kind and nume- rous. Large stream. Good Salmon-fishery location. (N.E. bound of" Lordship of Mingan.") Tolerable size. Fair fishery. Excellent net and fly-fishing for Salmon. Pools always hold a heavy run of large fish. Branch of the Mingan, equally good and well known. Very large stream. Splendid Salmon-fishery. Tolerably good fishery for Salmon. Rapid little river. Considerable stream. Chief net-fishery. Large — obstructed by perpendicular fall. At its mouth both Salmon and Trout resort. S A L M 0 N - R I V E R S OF BRITISH P R 0 ^' I N C E 381 Moisie Ste. Marguerite (< Pentecost Trinity (Bay) Guodhout English Bersimis 3 Nipimewecaw'nau Jereinie Golombier Plover Blanche Laval . Sault de Coehon Portneuf Grand Escoumain G. Bergeronne L. Bergeronne . Noted for numbers of weighty Salmon. Extensive and lucrative net-fishery. Fine fly-fishing. baa) . Excellent river for Salmon and Trout. Full, swift stream, much frequented by Salmon. Stationary fisheries at the mouth. Favorite river. Salmon and Trout fishing, for net and rod. Fine Salmon-river, widel^y known as such. The net-fishery in its tide-water and adjacent bay is very productive. Empties into deep cove. Salmon-fishery. Plenty of Trout. Immense stream, and has many tributaries. Scenery interesting. Abounds with large-sized Salmon. They do not aifect the fly except on the waters of its branches. Tributary of Bersimis. Fairy-like stream. Falls nine miles inside. Exquisite fly-fishing. Small. Trout only. Fur-trading post, chiefly. Good Salmon-fishery. Do. Do. Picturesque and wild river, alternating with gentle rapids and deep narrow pools. Besides valuable net-fishery, it affords abundant Salmon and Trout- fishing. Steep falls hinder ascent of Salmon. Famous for Trout-fishing along the estuary border. Pleasant stream to fish with fly. Up to the first falls swarms with Trout. For several miles higher up is frequented by Salmon. Net-fishery station along the tideway. Once famous for Salmon. Mill-dam has now an artificial fishway. Fine net-fishery for Salmon in bay. Good Trout-stream. Fair Salmon and Trout river. (Both the Bergeronne rivers are within few miles of Saguenay and Tadousac.) Discharije into River Saguenay St. Margaret {en haiit L. Saguenay St. .John's (en haut) Large tributary of river Saguenay. Fine Salmon- fishing for both net and fly. Trout abundant. Considerable stream, aflFording tolerable rod and good net fishing. Mill-dam inside, not in use. Do. Discharge into River St. Laivrence. Black, or Salmon . Formerly good fishery. Murray . . Flows down beautiful valley. Yields Salmon. Du Goufi"re . Much deteriorated. Ste. Anne . Pretty river, and latterly has afforded fair Salmon- fishing just below the chute. 382 A M E R I C A xNf ANGLER'S BOOK Montmorenci Jacques Cartier . Cataract at mouth. The upper water swarms with (river) Trout. Excellent Salmon-stream. I>u Sud Quelle G. Mitis Matanne St. Ann Mount Louis Magdelaine Dartmouth York St. John's {du Sud) Grand G. Pabos . South Coast. Promises to become again a good Salmon-river. Mill-dam and fishway. Well stocked with Salmon. Mill-dam broken up. Large stream. Has dam. Fine Salmon-river. Dam and Salmon pass in course of erection. Formerly good. Now few Salmon taken. Mill-dam across. Important stream. More noted of recent seasons for Sea-Trout than Salmon. Salmon-river, clear. First-class stream, flowing into Gaspe basin. Abounds with Salmon. Do. do. do. Do. do. do. Fine Salmon-fishery. Mill above. Salmon-fishery. Superior station. G. Bonaventure Cascapediacs Nouvelle Matapediac Ristigouche Patapediac Mistouche . Flow into Bay of Chaleurs. . Large and valuable stream. Many tributaries. Abounding with Salmon. . Both the little and great Cascapediacs yield high numbers of Salmon. . Good Salmon-fishery in bay. . Considerable magnitude, and abounds with Sal- mon. . Noble river. Has fine tributary streams. Salmon frequent it in large numbers, and of heavy weight. Head of Bay Chaleurs. . Branch of Ristigouche. Salmon ascend it about forty miles. . Feeder of Ristigouche. Salmon-river. " Nearly all the rivers described in the foregoing schedule are tidal streams, and most of them have stationary Salmon and Trout fisheries within the embouchure, and at bays, coveS; and inlets on either side. Those upon the north shore of the St. Lawrence descend out of wild, rocky, and mountainous country. " Most of these streams, with their numerous tributaries, and the large lakes at the head of each branch, present every SALxMON-RIVERS OF BRITISH PROVINCES. 38.' variety of river and lake adapted to ttie breeding and feeding of fish. '' Where there are mill-dams it is specially so noted. None elsewhere. " The names of certain rivers at present advertised for sale are printed in italics. "The true Salmon {Salmo saJar), and the Tide Trout [Scdmo trutta marina), are herein mentioned. '' The Grand Trunk Kaihvay, now in operation to St. Thomas, will be opened next autumn to Eiver du Loup, IK' miles below Quebec. Passenger steamboats ply between Quebec and the Saguenay. " Synopsis of the laws and hy-laios now in force in Lower Canada, having especial reference to the preservation and regulation of Salmon and Trout fisheries. (Act 22d Vict. cap. 86.) Section 4. The Governor in Council to grant special fishing leases and licenses ; and make all needful or expedient regulations for management and disposal of fisheries. 5. A general superintendent and local overseers to be appointed, and paid by the Government, for each province.- 8. The Government may set apart any vraters for natural or artificial propagation of Salmon and Trout. "■ 24. The open season for Salmon-fishery limited betvrixt 1st March and 1st August. Fly-surface fishing extended to 1st Sep- tember. Exception in procuring spawn for scientific pur- poses. '' 25. Spavining pools of Salmon protected against all fishing. " 26. Nets and fishing apparatus shall not obstruct the main channel or course of any river ; and such channel or course shall be at least one-third of the whole breadth of a river. 27. Owners of dams must attach fishways thereto. " 28. All parties concerned in breach of 24th Section become liable to fine or imprisonment. " 29. The meshes of Salmon-nets must measure five inches in extension from knot to knot. 384 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK Section 31. Trout-fishing illegal between 20th October and 1st February. 33. Netting for Trout in any lake or stream prohibited, except upon the River St. Lawrence. 36. Purchase, sale, or possession, during prohibited seasons, of any Salmon or Trout, made a punishable offence. Regulations under Order in Council. Bv-Law a. — Parties forbidden to occupy Salmon or Sea-Trout fishery stations without lease or license from the Crown. " B. — The use of nets confined to the brackish waters within the estuary tideway ; and forbidden upon the fresh-water streams above confluence of tide. " C. — All nets, &c., to be set no less than two hundred yards apart. E. — No other fishing whatever allowed over limits covered by exclusive leases or licenses from the Crown, except by express consent of lessees or licentiates. " F. — Prohibits capture of Salmon or Sea-Trout by torchlight, and with leister or spear. H. — The receipt, gift, purchase, sale, and possession of speared Salmon or Trout declared illegal. J. — No mill rubbish to be drifted awaste in any Salmon or Sea- Trout river. '' Appropriate penalties of fine or imprisonment, with forfeiture of materials and fish, are provided by law for the contravention of the several preceding sections and bj-hiws. " Also, effective and summary modes of proceeding are laid down for recovery of the same." The following is an account of ten days' fishing in the Moisie, in the summer of 1858, by J. M. S., Esq., a noted Salmon-fisher of Toronto, Upper Canada. It was originally printed by request for private circulation. The average weight of fish is probably greater than the best river in Scot- land would produce at the present day. I still adhere, how- ever, to the opinion I have already expressed, that Salmon in the rivers of Scotland are generally larger than they are on this side of the Atlantic. SALMON-RIVERS OF BRITISH PROVINCES 3b5 Ten days' Salmon-Jishing on the coast of Labrador, in June and Jidy, 1858, by J. M. S. Length of V'o. of Days Salmon. Grilse. Weight. Largest Fish. 1st day, 1 0 13 1b. 2d ' 1 0 m, 3d ' 4 2 5, 6, 10, 12, 38, 40i,* 3.9 and 3.11 4th ' 4 2 7, 8, 10, 12, 23, 24, Dth ' 4 3 4i 5, 6, llj, llj, 19, 38, 3.9 6th ' 3 2 5, 6, 19i, 30, 34, 3.6 and 3.7 7th ' 4 1 6, 12, 24, 26, 36f, 3.8^ 8th ' 3 0 12, 14, 36i 3.9 9th ' 2 1 6, 9, 25i 3.3 10th ' 2 28 1 12 5, 22J, 29, 3.5 673 lbs. Average weight of Salmon . . . 21^ lbs . " a " Grilse .... 5f " The angler who accomplished this great feat says, in a letter accompanying the above account : — " The particular river in which I killed my large Salmon last year was the ' Moisie/ a very large stream which empties itself into the St. Lawrence four leagues below Seven Islands, fifteen leagues west of Anticosti, and one hundred and forty leagues below Quebec. It can only be reached by cliartering a schooner from Quebec, or by taking passage in the Hud- son's Bay Company's boat, which leaves early in May. " There are a great many excellent rivers on this coast, both above and below the Moisie, such as the Bersimis, Goodbout,Mingan, Eomaine, N'atashquan, Little Katashquan, Magnoime and others, all of which are full of Salmon ; some of which have never been fished with the fly. '^ The Moisie has alwavs been considered the best Salmon- * This IS the largest Salmon ever killed on this coast with a rod. 25 386 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. river on the coast, but it has been so poached and bedevilled with nets, torches, seines, and all sorts of things, that it is comparatively nothing to what it was, — still I intend to fish it this year, and if any American gentlemen should happen to visit the ground, I shall be very happy to show them where a good cast may be obtained. " I may as well remark, that although the Moisie is a large river, there is really not room for more than three rods, upon such posts as I have hitherto discovered, without interfering with each other." Either the Moisie or Mingan is now leased by two or three gentlemen of Boston, who fish it every summer. The last season is said to have been one of rare sport ; a great many fish were killed, many of them of unusual size, — two or three over thirty pounds. Two Salmon-fishers of St. John, N. B., last summer made an excursion to the coast of Labrador. They called in their schooner at Bathurst for boats and to get canoe-men ; one of the latter on his return gave a glowing account of the sport which these gentlemen had. A brother of the rod at St. John promised to send me an account of the trip. I regret I am obliged to send this to press before hearing from him. SALMON-RIVERS OF NEW BRUNSWICK. In giving a list of Salmon-rivers in this province, I will only advert to those in which the angler has a hope of sport Those in which the rod-fishing has been destroyed, by net, spear, and high dams I pass over, and refer the reader, who wishes information about Salmon-fisheries as a matter of com- mercial or statistical importance, to Mr. Perley's report of the British fisheries of New Brunswick. I sliall first inention the rivers which have been described to me by others, and SALMON-RIVERS OF BRITISH PROVINCES. 38" give an account of the only one I ever fished (the Nipissiguit) at the end of this chapter. The Mirimichi. — A friend of whom I have asked informa- tion concerning this river, gives the following account of it: — "Dear N. — The Mirimichi has been a fine Salmon-river, but the net and spear have done their work upon it, as upon nearly every other river in New Brunswick. Now it is scarcely worth visiting for its fish, though its wild and beautiful scenery can never fail to attract admiration. " The first cast as you ascend is ten miles beyond Boies- town, and is called 'Salmon Brook.' I would advise any angler to pass it by, for if I live to be a hundred, I shall never forget the welcome given me by the flies and mosqui- toes of that wretched place. I here, for the first time in my life, saw a Grilse. I fished here two days and killed nothing. We then broke up camp and pushed on eight miles to 'Kocky Bend,' the next cast, reaching it in the evening. " The next morning about half a mile below the camp, I hooked and killed my first Salmon, a fresh-run fish of eleven and a half pounds, and I then thought it the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. The next day I killed my first Grilse of three and a half pounds, which is their average weight in this river. "My next move was up to 'Clear Water/ which is really the first camp that an angler should make after leaving Boiestown. The camping is on the left bank of the river, just above 'Clear Water' brook, and is a beautiful place. This is a little bit of meadow-land, covered with grass and flowers, and the view to the westward, up and across the river, extensive and fine. The hills are five or six hundred feet high, and as the points at the river-bends incline gradu- ally, upon looking up or down stream, one can see three or 888 A M F. II r C A N A N (i L E R • S BOOK. four hills, one beyond the other. I killed a few Grilse here and saw a few Salmon. ''The next camp, and the last, is at 'Burnt Hill,' five and a half miles higher up, and it is certainly the best place upon the river. It is on the left bank just below Burnt Hill brook, upon the hard rock ; for the hills here come down to the edge of the stream, and the only objection to it is, that the spring is on the other side, and the frequent passage of the canoe disturbs the fish. There is a good cast not ten feet from the tents, and fine water both above and below. If an angler were fortunate enough to have a rise of water while here, which I had not, he would still have fine sport ; but in low water it is time lost, except indeed he be, as I was, a beginner, and then I could give him no better advice than to go to McKay's at Boiestown, and send for William McKiel, and put himself under instructions, to as good a man as ever threw a fly or killed a Salmon. Wishing that we may yet meet upon the banks of a fine Salmon-river, where the spear and the net are unknown: "I remain, yours truly, "S." The Mirimichi is reached by way of St. John, New Bruns- wick, from whence there is a boat every evening for Fred- ericton, on the river St. John. Here the angler buys his stores, and takes the stage for Boiestown, where he engages his canoe-men. As will be seen by the foregoing letter, the glory of the Mirimichi as a Salmon-river has departed. The Ristigouche. — Although this river is still frequented every summer by great numbers of Salmon, it is said to afford no fly-casts on account of its want of rapids and proper pools. My informant, a canoe-man who accompanied a party of anglers one summer, could not tell me how high they S A L M 0 N . R I V E i: S OF BRITISH PROVINCES. 389 ascended the r'wcr, but its upper waters and tributaries most likely furnish good fly-fishing. The Matapediac. — To get to this river, if approached by way of St. John and Bathurst, one must go to Dalhousie, and fl'om there to Campbelltown, where the anglei* will have to engage such canoe-men as he can find. Most likely half-breed Indians, who are not generally reliable as regards sobriety or honesty, nor are they always good canoe-men. This, it is said, is a fine river for rod -fishing. The Cascapediacs. — These rivers, both the Little and Great, as well as the Bonaventure, are on the northern shore of the Bay of Chaleurs. To fish them it is necessary to get boats, canoe-men, and stores at Bathurst, and cross the bay in a sailing-craft. In going from Shediac to Bathurst one crosses a great many rivers, some of them quite small, that not many years ago abounded in Salmon. On some of these there was, no doubt, formerly fine rod-fishing. At Bathurst, as will be observed by the map, there are three rivers flowing into the little bay which forms the harbor. The most northerly is called the Tittigouche ; on the map it is printed Jittingouche. This was a fine little river at one time, but a mill-dam a mile or so above its mouth, now limits the range of Salmon and Sea-Trout to that distance. There is even now fair fishing at the dam, and at one or two pools beloAv it on private property ; these casts are two or three miles from Bathurst. The Middle Kiver, which is crossed by a long bridge connecting Bathurst proper with the " Village," as it is called, on the north side, has a few stray Salmon to run up a short distance, but no rod- fishing. 390 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK, The next river, vvhieli enters on the south side of the town, I had the pleasure of fishing last summer, spending six pleasant weeks in doing so; it is tlie most famous river in the province. I will describe it at length. The Nipissiguit.* — The usual route in going direct from "the States" to this river, is from Boston to St. John, New Brunswick, by one of the boats of the International line, which leaves every Monday and Thursday, at 8 A. M. ; the time occupied in the passage is from twenty-eight to thirty- four hours. The cars leave St. John every morning, and arrive at Shediac, on the Northumberland Strait, a distance of a hundred and ten miles, to dinner. From thence to Chatham, eighty miles, and from Chatham to Bathurst, forty- five miles, the only reliable means of conveyance is in an open stage, and even then one may have to take an extra or lie over a day at Chatham. A boat leaves Shediac for Chatham every two weeks, on the arrival of the cars from St. John ; and if the day can be ascertained from the St. John papers before leaving home, one may avoid a night on the road. The roads of New Brunswick, however, being kept in repair by the government, are hard and level, and the horses, generally two in a team, much " better to go" than one would suppose from their appearance. Bathurst is situated at the mouth of the Nipissiguit, at the head of a beautiful little harbor on tfte Bay of Chaleurs. where Thomas Baldwin, a clever, obliging Irishman, keeps a good hotel, and will give an angler all the assistance and information he requires. Bela Packard, an intelligent Ameri- * It appears strange that the author of " Salmon-Fishing in Canada," in giving the foregoing list of rivers, including those flowing into the Bay of Chaleurs, should omit the Nipissiguit, although it is fished every summer by anglers from Quebec. Nor does he mention the Tittigouche. SALMON-RIVERS OF BRITISH PROVINCES. 391 can who settled there forty years ago, also accommodates anglers ; and those who prefer more retired quarters, stop with him. Mr. Packard is a fine, erect, hale old man of sevent}^, has followed lumbering on most of the rivers of New Brunswick, and being communicative, and, like most Yankees, a little inquisitive, will interest a stranger while he posts him on the geography and history of the province. He is also thoroughly acquainted Avith the canoe -men, and the requirements of the angler when on the river, and will put him into good hands. Altliough most of the pools on the Nipissiguit are fished from the shore, a canoe is indispensable in getting to them, as well as in travelling the river. Those in use are made by the Indians of birch bark. They are preferred on account of their light weight, a great desideratum in making the portages, which occur frequently on this river. There are many requisites that go to make a good canoe-man. He should have a character for sobriety and honesty; he should be athletic, quick, cool, of unflinching nerve, and good-humored : he should be acquainted with every rapid, pool, and eddy in the river ; where the fish are accustomed to lie at difierent stages of water ; and should be a thorough woodsman, as well as a good river-man. The canoe-men of the NiiDissiguit pos- sess these amphibious qualities to a great degree. There are whole families — the Chamberlains, the Venos, the Levins, the Buchets, the Youngs, and others — who take to poling and paddling a canoe as young ducks take to water. Many of these have spent every summer from their boyhood in the employ of anglers from England, Ireland, Scotland, the Pro- vinces, and the States, draAvn thither by stories of the fishing on the Nipissiguit. Some of these men are also expert anglers, and can give the tyro many useful hints. I shall 392 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. never forget the interest John Chamberlain* evinced in mj success, when I told him I had never killed a Salmon: sug- gesting, by some well-timed hint, or modestly showing, how my casting could be improved, and apologizing (however serviceable his advice) for the intrusion. All the stores that are really necessary on the river, and many of those that may be called luxuries, including good brandy and fine Scotch ale and whiskey, may be had of Messrs. Ferguson, Eankin & Co., at Bathurst. Desiccated vegetables and meat, solidified milk, essence of coffee (if the angler wants them), smoking tobacco, and claret, he had better take from home. As to the quantity of provisions required for * The author of the " Game Fish of the North" makes this uncalled for, and certainly unmerited, mention of the Chamberlain brothers : " The following are good men : John, Peter, and Bruno Chamberlain ; John makes a good fly, but is sulky and wilful ; Bruno is lazy ; Ned Veno and David Buchet, both of whom are excellent and willing." From a long summer's acquaintance with John, I found him exactly the reverse ; he, with his brother Peter, were my canoe-men. They were always willing, respectful, and untiring in their efforts to show me the best fishing, and to promote my comfort by a hundred little acts of kind- ness and courtesy that appear to be inherent in French Canadians ; and I know that my appreciation of these honest fellows is fully endorsed by such men as Messrs. Lill}^ Emmet, Nicholson, Cooper, and other accom- plished anglers. John attributes the remarks of the author I have quoted to the ill-humor of his friend " Dalton," who, one summer, had Peter and John for his canoe-men, and whom John describes as an irascible little old gentleman, who broke a great many tips, and smashed countless flies against the rocks ; who would not be advised, but insisted on having his canoe in the middle of a pool, while fishing it, much to the terror of the Salmon ; and " carried on generally" in the most unamiable way. As for Bruno, there is no better canoe-man ; he is one of the toughest, most untiring, and cheerful fellows on the Nipissiguit. I say this with no wish to underrate other canoe-men, but as an act of justice to my friend John and his brother Bruno. SALMON-RIVERS OF BRITISH PROVINCES. 393 a trip, it wo-uld be well to leave that to Messrs. Ferguson & Co.'s head man, and be guided in some degree by bis canoe- men. Until last summer, the Nipissiguit bad been free to all anglers, tbe first party at a fisbing-station claiming tbe pools as a sort of pre-emptionary rigbt. But witb tbe alleged object of protecting tbe river from illegal and injurious fishing, it was let on the first of last July — for the season — to Mr. Fer- guson, of Bathurst, and the privilege of fishing any of the stations was sub-let to different parties at a price, for a speci- fied time. This was the first time the fishing on any river in New Bruns^vick had been leased to an individual, and the anglers, who had before resorted to it from St. John and other parts of the province, were loud in their denunciations, at the introduction of any rule that had the semblance of the game laws of the " Old Country," and the consequence was that few of them visited the river. There were persons, however, from Montreal and Quebec — generally British officers who came around by steamer — who rented the privilege of fishing several of the stations of Mr. Ferguson, and the Papineau and Grand Falls were in request. The advantage of paying for the privilege of fishing any station is, that it gives the lessee possession for the time, without the contingency of cavil. The lowest fishing-station on the Nipissiguit is "Rough Waters,^^ three miles above Bathurst, at the head of the tide. Here there is a succession of splendid pools, extending at short intervals for more than a mile. These, in order as you ascend the river, are the Lower Pool, the Rolls, Miller's Pitch, Willis's Pitch, Buchet's Falls, Proctor's Rock, and others that have no particular name, scattered along amongst them — em- bracing in all more than a dozen good casts. The earliest fishing of the season is found here, for the first run of Salmon appear to linger about these pools awhile, before making their way 394 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. to the apper part of the river. The land on each side of the "Roagh Waters'' being owned by different individuals, the leasing of the fishing privilege of the river does not debar any angler from these pools, and every summer they are assiduously fished by people from the town and neighbor- hood, and the angler who camps here frequently finds his morning's cast anticipated by an earlier riser than himself, — - generally some Canadian stripling fishing for his breakfast or dinner, many of whom cast a fly with astonishing lightness and accuracy, and if their tackle was as good as the city angler's, the latter would stand a poor chance in fishing after them. A few flies though, a few shillings, and a little good humor, properly expended, will buy them ofi". Mr. N., of St. John, and the writer, last summer bought off a persistent young fellow of this kind, by employing him as camp keeper, at the extravagant price of fifty cents a day ; he proved to be an excellent canoeman, and did us good service. But these competitors seldom have a canoe, and cannot get to many of the best pools in high water without, and, as a consequence, they are preserved to the angler who has one. The first Grilse also are taken at the "Rough Waters," and about the middle or 20th of July, they come in such numbers as to give fine sport.' Bound Bock, the next station, is about two miles above Rough Waters. It has a half-dozen or so of excellent pools ; the best is that in-shore near the camp, called the "Rock- pool." Here within a fly-cast of my tent door I killed my first Salmon, — an epoch in the life of an angler which he marks "with a white stone." I had hoped to be initiated gradually, killing first a Grilse and then a small Salmon, but fortune would have it otherwise, and with a rod and a fly of my own make, I brought to gaff in less than fifteen minutes a splendid fresh-run fish. " Bon poisson !" exclaimed Peter, as SALMON-RIVERS OF BRITISH PROVINCES. 895 he tapped the Salmon on the head with a short billet of wood ; "Bon poisson!" responded John, holding it up with the hook of the spring balance in its snout, and down went the index to sixteen pounds. Six Aveeks later I hooked my last fish of the summer in the same pool, and killed it in the same eddy below. They were both fresh-run from the sea ; both females, and both of the same weight. This singular coincidence cast a halo of qu.iet satisfaction around my recollection of a summer on the beau- ful Nipissiguit. Papineau Falls, the next station, some eight or nine miles from Bathurst, is as renowed for the wild beauty of its scenery, as for its splendid Salmon-pools, of which there are three that are in high repute amongst the anglers who visit the river. Many fish are lost here from the rapidity of the water and the difiiculty of getting along the precipitous rocky bank. About eighteen or twenty years ago, a packing- establishment was opened here, and as many as six hundred barrels of salted fish were put up in one summer, which were taken by spearing and netting the river at this place and above. Bittahock, two or three miles above, has two pools, where there was formerly good fishing, but they have deteriorated of late years, and there are but few fish taken here now. This place is remarkable for its deep still waters, the fairy-like nooks along its banks, and the singular appearance of the rocks, which seem to have been broken and lifted from horizontal strata, and piled with remarkable accuracy in parallel layers like mason's work. The next station is Mid Landing. Here the river rushes through a deep narrow gorge, that one might pitch a biscuit across. The canoe-men say, that the depth of the water at the lower end is forty or fifty feet. There is one quiet pool 39(3 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK below the gorge said to be good at low water, but I did not raise a fisli in it. There are also three or four casts above ; two of them are in- shore along the margin of the gorge, where I had good sport in stopping over-night, killing two fine Salmon in the afternoon, and two more next morning before breakfast. I afterwards took three Grilse in one of the same pools, when passing it at broad noon. Chain of Rocks, three miles above, is said to afford good fishing occasionally, though in camping here a night, and fishing the three pools late in the afternoon and early in the morning, I did not hook a fish, having only two faint rises. This is a poor camping ground, much infested with flies, and has no spring near it. Grand Falls, two and a half miles further on, and twenty miles from Bathurst, is the last fishing-station for Salmon on the river, the height of the falls preventing them from ascending further. In former years this was a favorite resort, Avhen four or five anglers would find good sport for weeks. But, alas ! two rods now are as many as the station will well carry, and even then careful fishing and frequent resting of the pools, for a day or two at a time, are required if the water is low. The fishing here commences at least two weeks later than it does at Kough Waters, and it is not until after the 8th or 10th of July that one can be sure of sport. No description can convey an adequate idea of the rugged sublimity of the scenery here. The wide shallow river, sud- denly contracted into a narrow channel, chafes and ibams over boulders and huge fragments of rock in its mad course, and leaping two smaller precipices, comes thundering down the main pitch, thirty feet, into a dark ravine, which in the course of time it has worn through the hard rock. After pursuing its way, and widening its channel through the gorge, to some sixty or seventy yards, it flows with abated current into a wide deep basin a mile and a half below. SALMON-RIVERS OF BRITISH PROVINCES. 397 In winter tTie gorge is filled with frozen slush and ice from above ; the falls disappear, and the surface along the ravine, above and below, is one roughened level, while the river flows beneath. The boatmen as they ply the pole and paddle in summer, to force their birch-canoe against the strong current in going to the " Falls Pool," will point out to the angler the trunks of trees barked and chafed by floating ice, nearly to the summit of the cliffs, and masses of snow and ice, ground into hail-like consistency, :?emain there in the deep shaded dell nearly the whole summer. The camp, with its two capacious bark sheds, is on the west side of the river, rather more than a hundred rods below the falls. It is from a hundred and twenty to a hundred and fifty feet above the river. Twenty or thirty feet from the camp an icy cold brook, which comes from a spring a hundred yards above, flows through a wet meadow covered with alders, briars, and rank wild grass, and goes rattling down the rocky declivity to the river. Here the canoe- men have scooped out the turf, and, damming the rivulet with a few large stones, have made a pretty pool for the use of the camp. I have seen six or eight silvery Salmon laid in it to keep fresh and cool. This is a favorite camping-ground. Those who travel the river to or from the lumber regions above, make it an object to stop here all night when they make the portage of the falls. The toiling canoe -men, as they pole their bark, laden with the angler and his outfit, against the stubborn stream, look to it as a haven of rest. It is the angler's paradise, and many a pleasant day has been passed here, by jolly brethren of the rod who have travelled far by land, or crossed the broad Atlantic, to fish at the far-famed ''Grand Falls." I have pleasant memories of this camp, which I pray may never fail me. The bright rushing river below, and the hill rising 398 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. behind, covered with luxurious raspberries and whortleber- ries ; the songs and stories of the unsophisticated canoe-men ; the ooz}^ meadow, with its alders and wild shrubbery, where the robin, the "peabody," the "chitchie-ke-witchie," and whole choirs of other warblers rouse the angler from his early morning slumbers, that he may souse his face in the cold brook, and prepare for his day's sport. The " Falls Pool" is about a hundred yards below the last pitch of the falls. It is difficult to fish, there being but two casts. One is from the lower end of the pool, where you are compelled to throw up stream, the swift current bringing your fly back, and making it very hard to keep the line taut enough to strike successfully. The other a few yards higher up, by the side of the ledge, is a better stand, but you must keep well back, for tlie fish will see you unless the water is dis- colored. This is a perfect mausoleum for flies ; how many have been broken against the granite cliff that rises abruptly at the angler's back, it would be hard to say : unless he is proficient in the left- shouldered cast, he can scarcely come away without the loss of three or four. In this pool Mr. L., of New York, has killed his dozen Salmon (not counting Grilse) before breakfast ; but those days have passed long since. The left-hand portion of the frontispiece of the book represents this pool. The " Camp Pool," opposite the landing, is easily fished. There is a good open cast here, and one who fishes it, fre- quently has participants in his sport, for there is a fine view of the pool from the camp, and when the water is clear, those above can see all the runs and leaps of the fish, and the stratagem of the angler. "Kock Pool," two hundred yards or so below the landing, is the glory of the station. The head of the pool on the right-hand side is the best cast at high water. When the SALMON-RIVERS OF BRITISH PROVINCES. 399 water falls the opposite side is better. The angler is more certain of a fish in this pool than in any other on the river. I have lit my pipe at the camp-fire at sunrise, and killed a brace of fine Salmon here before I knocked the ashes ont. " Cooper's Point" (named after Captain Cooper, a retired British officer, who in former years came every summer from Bno'laud to fish at the "Grand Falls") is the next cast below, and a continuation of '' Kock Pool." It is fished generally from the shore on the right-hand bank. This is as difficult a place to cast from as the " Falls Pool," and as destructive to flies. The •' Unlucky," so named from the number of fi.sh that have been lost here after hooking them, is still a continuation of the same pool — the lower end of it. It is fished from the same side as Cooper's Point. It is good only when the water is full. There is also a cast at the head of the basin on the left side when there is a freshet on. "Grilse Pool," opposite Gilmore's brook, and another by the blufi", with yellow pines on the left side below the basin, are good Grilse-pools, the water being rather shallow for Salmon in both, unless the river is full. When the water is clear, Salmon can be seen in the river quite plainly. I have counted twenty from the bluff above Rock Pool, and half that number from the camp, in the pool below ; and have seen the angler play his fly above their very noses at such times, without their showing the least disposition to take it. There is one thing attending a sojourn at this station, which at times impresses the angler with a feeling (though not a sad one) of awe. It is observed mostly when fish- ing the pools just below the camp. I allude to the intense silence which reigns when the wind comes from any other quarter than the falls. If the birds sing high above in the 400 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. shrubbery and stunted timber, tbey are not heard by the fisher down in the deep ravine through which the river flows ; but a voice of ordinary pitch, a thump on the canoe, or the splash of a Salmon when it falls, after leaping above the water, is heard a long distance off, and the sound is pro- longed and reflected from the almost perpendicular rock that walls in the stream on either side. Thus you frequently know when another angler, though he is not visible, has a fish on, and you may frequently receive or give a hint to make less noise, when the culprit is not aware of any lack of caution at the time of offending. It is a realization of the idea of audible silence. This, as is the case with most Salmon rivers, is infested by poachers. The Indians spear, and the whites net the stream far beyond the limits prescribed by law. A straggling rem- nant of a tribe occupying a little island in Bathurst Bay, some of whom have skins as white as my own, spear at night and sell tlieir fish at early daylight, or next evening, to the packing establishment at the mouth of the harbor, for four or five cents a pound. As the summer advances they extend their operations high up the river. I found them one night invading our pools at the Grand Falls. A shot from a carbine, though, dropped between the two canoes of the poachers, caused them to leave in a hurry. One fellow was in such trepidation, that he did not even think of dousing his torch, but went paddling down stream, illumining the bare cliffs with the glare of his flambeau. It is not well for one who visits the Nipissiguit (and it is so with all Salmon-rivers) to be limited as to time. The angler may arrive when there is a continuation of rainy weather, and have to wait some days, perhaps for a week or more, until it falls ; or he may get there when a long spell of dry weather has retarded the run of fish from the bay, and SALMON -RIVERS OF BRITISH PROVINCES. -iOl have to wait for a rise ia the river before there is fishing. I have heard an angler, who has since been quite successful, say, that it was not until his third visit to this river, that he killed a Salmon ; and was told of a very sure Salmon-fisher, who once spent three weeks at the Grand Falls, waiting for the water to fall, and went home at last without killing a fish. One should therefore have the whole of the month of July, and the greater part of August, before him to be certain of sport. A recommendation to the Nipissiguit as a Salmon- river is, that there are no trees near enough to the pools to obstruct one's cast. As celebrated as this river once was, four or five Salmon a day now, may be considered excellent sport : sometimes the catch will be one or two, or you may have several blank days in succession. The sources of the Nipissiguit, the Kistigouche, and some of the upper waters of the tributaries of the St. John and Mirimichi are in close proximity, and those who have a fancy for such mode of travelling, may, by means of Indians and birch-canoes, ascend one river, or a branch of it, and portage into another. For instance, the Nipissiguit can be approached from the Mirimichi by way of the Northwest River, one of its tributaries. Or from the St. John (when the water is high enough for steamboats above the Grand Falls of that river), by ascending the Tobique, one of its branches, and making a portage of four miles to Nipissiguit Lake, where, from all accounts, Trout are shockingly abundant. A party of excur- sionists who made this trip last summer passed a station I was fishing on the Nipissiguit, each occupying a canoe manned by an Indian. The Eistigouche is accessible from the St. John by way of the head- waters of the tributaries of each, and also from the Nipissiguit. Salmon-fishing in this country (as in Great Britain) is not an inexpensive amusement, unless^ one is fortunate enough to 26 402 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. reside near the rivers in which these fish are fo"and. The privilege of fishing some of the rivers of Scotland is let by the proprietors at round sums ; two miles of a stream that will carry four rods commanding, I am told, from fifty to a hundred pounds sterling. In this country, the preparations for a trip, travelling expenses, hire of canoe-men, stores, and difference between " greenbacks" and gold, or Canadian cur- rency, amount to " something considerable," and a trip is apt to cost the angler more than double the amount set down by "Barnwell." Anglers from "the States" uniformly meet with kindness amongst the "Blue-noses;" there is an inbred urbanity amongst those of French descent, however humble their sphere in life, which is always pleasantly remembered. One of the most agreeable days I ever spent, was a quiet Sabbath amongst these primitive people — the families of my canoe- men. I have inserted this little vignette, fancying that it bears some resemblance to John Chamberlain ; it at least expresses his fashion of wearing his hat. CHAPTER XV. REPAIRS, KNOTS, LOOPS, AND RECEIPTS. " Let independence be our boast. CHAPTER XV. X REPAIRS, KNOTS. LOOPS, AND RECEIPTS. Repairs. — To wax silk, thread, or twine — Tying on hooks and making- loops, illustrated. — Splicing a line and splicing a rod, illustrated. Knots. — The angler's single and double knot, and knot used in tying on drop-flies, illustrated. — A gang of hooks, illustrated. Receipts. — For making wax. — For dyeing gut. — For dyeing feathers and dubbing. To Wax Wrapping-Silk. — The preliminaiy step iu tying on a hook; making an artificial fly, or repairing tackle, is to wax the silk or twine to be used for that purpose. As there is some little knack in this, particularly when the weather is cold, and the wax stiff, it may not be a useless task to describe how it is neatly and effectually done. Press between a small piece of folded leather a lump of shoemaker's wax, not larger than a pea; then holding one end of the silk between your teeth, and the other at arm's length, pass the wax lightly but quickly over it, at first with short rubs, then as the wax warms by the friction, with a longer and slower motion, drawing it towards the edges of the folded leather, for the last rub or two, to get rid of any unnecessary quantity of wax on the silk. Thread or twine is waxed in the same manner. In fly-making, a wax, lighter, though less adhesive than shoemaker's, is generally used. A small pellet is rolled between the thumb and forefinger until it is soft, when the (405) 406 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. silk is drawn throiigh, and the superfluous wax wiped off by drawing it between the thumb and finger. To Tie ok a Hook. — Plold the hook in your left hand between the thumb and forefinger, with the shank uppermost, and the head outward or towards your right, then take two or three turns around the bare shank of the hook near the head, and laying the gut-length on the back of the hook or underneath, wrap down closely until the wrapping covers the end of the gut, which in a short- shanked hook will be oppo- site the point. Figure 1, on the annexed wood-cut, shows the position of the hook thus far. Then seizing the shank of the hook and reversing it — that is, with the bend outwards — lay the silk along the shank with the end towards the wrist of your left hand, as in figure 2, and forming a loop at the bend of the hook, take the lower part of the slack, and con- tinue the wrapping for three or four turns more, and holding it securely, though not too tightly in its place, draw the slack through and cut it off close, thus making what is by some anoflers termed the invisible knot. REPAIRS, KNOTS, LOOPS, AND RECEIPTS. 407 Loops. — In tying on hooks for bait-fishing, an excellent plan is to whip the hook to a gut- loop, as shown by the left- hand portion of figure 3. The right-hand portion of the same figure represents a loop on the end of a gut-leader, and shows how a hook may be attached to the leader or taken off; it is convenient in changing one's hooks ; the loops draw together closely when the gut becomes soft in the water, and present a neat appearance. To carry out the same idea of neatness and convenience, a line should also have a gut-loop at the end of it, for the pur- pose of fastening on or taking off a leader, and to dispense with knots. The loop can be fastened to the line securely and neatly in the following manner : — Taper the end of the line for three quarters of an inch with a sharp knife, and after holding a piece of shoemaker's wax in a candle or gas-light, draw so mach of the line through the soft wax; then hold the ends of the gut-loop in the gas-light to blunt them and form little knobs on them, and indenting the gut between your fore teeth, lay it on the waxed end of the line, and beginning at the ends of the loop (figure 4), wrap with fine waxed silk as far as B, and fasten off with the invisible knot, as already described in tying on a hook. To Splice a Line. — When the angler breaks his line and is not willing to dispense with the part broken ofi", if it is joined by a knot, it will not pass through the rings of the rod, and splicing becomes a necessity. This is done by taper- ing the two ends for three quarters of an inch, waxing them well, and laying them together, and wrapping with fine well- waxed silk. Fastening off with the invisible knot in this instance is different from the manner before described. It is done thus : after wrapping from A to B (figure 5), drop the silk into a loop D, and commencing at C, pass the end four times around the line towards towards B, then taking up the 408 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK slack D, continue to wind (over the end) from B towards G, four turns, and draw the slack through and cut it off To Splice a Eod. — Trim off the fractured ends obliquely, making a long bevel on each, and after rubbing the surfaces where they are to come in contact with hard shoemaker's wax, wind the splice from E to F with fine waxed twine or Sadler's silk, and fasten off with the invisible knot, as described in splicing a line. Knots. — In the next cut, No. 1 is the anglerh single knot ; it is used in tying a line. No 2 is the angkr^s double knot, the neatest and most secure in joining gut-lengths. The ends are laid together pointing in opposite directions, and are passed through twice ; this knot is indispensable in making leaders for Trout, and casting-lines for Salmon fishing. When drawn together the knot is oblong and the ends may be cut off as close as can be done v/ith a sharp knife, without a possibility of their drawing. No. 3 is a water-knot; it is used mostly in attaching the drop-fly to a leader in Trout-fishing ; the ends are tightened, and the knot drawn together after the knotted end of the gut to which the dropper is tied is passed through. The ends of this knot should not be cut off too close, for fear of their drawing when the gat becomes thoroughly soaked. - REPAIRS, KNOTS, LOOPS, AND RECEIPTS. 409 GrANGS. — The subjoined cut represents a gang of hooks ; it is mucli used by those who troll the lakes of northern New York, and, as the reader will see, is readily made. In putting on the bait the single hook at the top of the gang is passed through the lips of the minnow or shiner ; one of the pair in the middle, through the body just below the back fin ; and one of those at the end of the gang through the minnow just above the tail. The gang should be shorter, or longer, and the hooks larger or smaller, as the case may be, to suit the size of the minnow. I have drawn these hooks too small with the exception of the top hook ; they should be twice the size represented. :d D ^ Gut should be soaked in hot water for at least ten minutes to insure a compact, secure knot in tying leaders. If on the stream, the ends may be held in the mouth a few minutes to soften them. Any attempt to tie a knot in dry gut will cause it to break, or fracture so as to endanger its strength. 410 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. Directions for Dyeing Gut. — The following is taken from the " Fly-Fisher's Text-Book," by Chitty. I have found his receipt for dyeing a neutral tint to produce a color so much to my liking, that I have used it for twelve years with- out trying the compounds for producing other shades. " General Directions for Dyeing Out. — In an earthen pipkin boil about one pint and a half of cold water with the dyeing ingredients I shall mention presently. When these have boiled about ten minutes, take the pipkin off the fire, and after a minute or so, immerse the gut, tied, if at all, very loosely, and leave it in the still bubbling liquid, so long only by the watch, as I direct, and it is dyed enough ; for observe, that these are all tried means. On taking the gut from the pipkin, cast it into a basin of clean cold water, and rinse it well ; wipe it, and let it dry awhile : then take each length separately, 'and holding it by the end between the fore teeth, rub it with India-rubber, which not only cleans and straightens it, but also tests its strength, avoiding the necessity of doing so again when about to be called into use. After this, clip off the bad ends and tie all up neatly together, and keep it, at full length, in a paper or parchment case, with an inner one of thin paper rubbed with olive- oil, which, in moderation, preserves gut. '' Particular Recipes. — The ingredients are as follows ; and first in my esteem is, " No. 1. — An azure or neutral tint (similar to ink-dye): — " 1 drachm Logwood, 6 grains Copperas, Immersed 2^ or 3 minutes. "No. 2. — An azure tint, more pink than the last : — " 1 drachm Logwood, 1 scruple Alum. Immersed 3 minutes. REPAIRS, KNOTS, LOOPS, AND RECEIPTS. 411 '• Or, five grains alum, added to No. 1, will change it to this color ; — but the less we use copperas the better, and, there- fore, No. 2 is best for this color. " No. 3; — A dingy or dirty olive (a very good color) : — " To ingredients of No. 2, add, 3 scruples Quercitron Bark, Immersed 2 minutes, or perhaps 3 minutes, " No. 4. — A light brown : — " 1 drachm Madder, 1 scruple Alum, Immersed 5, or perhaps 6 minutes. '* No. i. — A light yellow, or amber : — " Ij scruple Quercitron Bark, 1 scruple Alum, 6 grains Madder, 4 drops Muriate of Tin, 1 scruple Cream of Tartar, Immersed 2^ minutes.^' Dyeing Feathers and Dubbing. — It is possible that this work jnay fall into the hands of some Salmon-fisher to whom the opportunity of importing dyed hackles and dub- bing is not often presented, but who can procure the necessary materials. With a view of enabling him to become his own dyer, I have taken the following from the "Book of the Salmon." It is a condensation of directions given in Black- er's " Art of Fly-making and Dyeing." " The best vessel for dyeing is a Wedgwood- ware pipkin ; and one that will hold a quart of fluid will be large enough for all ordinary purposes. Before dyeing pig's hair or wool or mohair, each must be scoured of its grease and dirt by immersion and boiling for half an hour in strong soap-lees. 412 AMERICAN ANGLER'S B 0 0 K Feathers, the chief ones used being hackles, must be also cleansed by washing them with soap in warm water. The principal colors to be obtained are black, brown, blue, red, and yellow, and by combining, in the process of dyeing, those colors, all other hues and shades can be procured. The reader is requested to bear in mind that the art of dyeing is a very delicate one, requiring minute attention and no small expe- rience. The experimental student must exercise considerable patience, and not be at all discouraged by incipient failures. They will dissolve by degrees into successful results. " Recipe for Blue. — A¥ith soft river- water let your pipkin be about three parts full ; put it on a slow, clear fire, adding a teaspoonful of 'paste-blue,' which can be purchased at the color-shops. Keep stirring it, and when it is more than luke- warm, add a tablespoonful of cold water, into which you have put twelve drops of sulphuric acid. In this dyeing fluid place a quarter of an ounce of material to be dyed, whether pig's hair, hackles, or mohair, taking care that they have been previously thoroughly cleansed as already directed, and rinsed in hot water, and then wrung out just before you put them into the pipkin. Let the whole boil slowly for fifteen or twenty minutes. Then take out your fur or feathers, or whatever material you are dyeing, and rinse in pure cold water. Dry, if possible,- in a sunny atmosphere. For stirring your materials in the pipkin always use a clean piece of wood. " For Red. — Water as before in your pipkin, and with it two handfuls of Brazil wood, and a quarter of an ounce of pig's hair or feathers, or any other material you want to dye. Boil the whole for half an hour. Take out your material, and cool the d3^eing fluid by the addition of a little cold water. When cool, put in sulphuric acid in manner and quantity as before ; next, add your material to be dyed, and gently REPAIRS, KNOTS, LOOPS, AND RECEIPTS. 413 simmer the Avhole for an hour over a slow fire. Then take out fur or feathers, immerse in cold water, and wring and dry- as before. If you want a beautiful claret hue, add, in the first boiling, to the Brazil-wood, half the quantity of log- wood ; and, in the second boiling, a bit of copperas the size of a pea, and the size of a hazel-nut of pearl-ash. Boil an hour, immerse material in cold water, and rinse and dry as before. Take care that the dyeing liquor be cool before you add to it the sulphuric acid. ''For Yellow. — Water as before, in which put a handful of bruised Persian berries ; boil for an hour, and then add two tablespoonfuls of turmeric. Put in acid, mohair, &c., in manner and quantity as before ; boil for half an hour, take out and rinse in cold water, and dry. The addition of a tablespoonful of Brazil-wood will change your brilliant yel- low to rich orange. ''For Brown. — Water as before, in which boil a handful of walnut-rind, with a very small quantity of red- wood, and of logwood the size of a walnut, for half an hour, together with a quarter of an ounce of the material to be dyed. Take it out, cool the liquor, and add acid as before. Keinsert feathers or fur, &c., and boil them for another half-hour. Rinse and dry as usual. For cinnamon and fiery brown colors, dye in the above fluid hackles, pig's hair, and so forth, that have been already dyed^ yellow. The fiery brown will require more ingredients in the fluid than the cinnamon color. "For Black. — Water as before, in which boil two handfuls of logwood one hour; then add a little sumach and elder- bark, and boil for half an hour longer. Next put in your feathers, &c., and boil another half- hour. Take them out, cool your liquor, and add acid ; dissolve a bit of copperas the size of a nut, and adding a little argil and soda, boil again for half an hour. Take out your feathers, fur, or hair occasion- -414 A :\I E R I C A N ANGLER'S BOO K ally, as exposure to air during the process of dyeing tends to promote and fix the black color. " A mixture of blue and red dyeing liquor boiled together, and afterwards cooled, and acid added to it, will produce a purple color. '' A mixture of blue and yellow dyeing liquor will produce, in accordance with your varying and modifying it, greens of all shades. "A mixture of blue, red, and yellow liquor produces bright olives, the hues of which may be sobered by the introduction of logwood. "For Bright Scarlet. — Water as usual, in which put a tea- spoonful of crystallized tartar. In this liquid boil the mate- rials you are about to dye ; take them out, and put in a table- spoonful of powdered cochineal and a teaspoonful of ^ grain- spirit,' which can be bought at the dry Salter's. When in a simmering state, reintroduce your materials — feathers or fur, &c., — and boil the whole gently for half an hour. Wash, rinse, and dry your materials as usual. " Yellow, audits Varieties for Feathers. — The recipe already given for dyeing yellow, suits pig's- wool, mohair, and furs best. The present recipe is better for feathers, hackles, (fee- Boil two or three handfuls of yellow- wood one hour in a quart of soft water ; wash the feathers, be they mottled mal- lard or any sort of hackle (light-colored ones are the best to be dyed yellow), in soap and hot water. They must be tied in bunches at the quill end. Boil these bunches a short time in a pint of water, to which you have added a large spoonful of alum and tartar, in a pipkin. Take them out and immerse them in your yellow dyeing liquor, and let it simmer for an hour or two, more or less, according to your desire for a paler or deeper yellow. Finally, take out the feathers, and rinse them in hard spring water. Eed hackles. REPAIRS, KNOTS, LOOPS, AND RECEIPTS. 415 boiled in a similar liquor, will become brown or amber. When 3''ou want yellow-greens, either of hackles or mohair, add blue paste or indigo steeped in water for twenty-four hours, to your yellow liquor, and by augmenting or diminish- ing the quantity of blue, you will obtain several shades of yellow green." Wax. — The most tenaci^ii^s undoubtedly shoemaker's wax, but it is so stiff in cold weather as to make it difficult to wax a delicate thread with it, and in a warm room so much adheres to the silk when tying a fly, that it is objectionable when finishing off at the head, where it should be neat as well as secure. Fly -makers, therefore, have resorted to several methods of rendering shoemaker's wax less adhesive to the fingers and more easily applied to the silk. One is to add a small portion of lard or (Chitty says) pomatum. Many pro- fessional fly-dressers have a receipt for making their own wax : the base of all, or that which o-ives it adhesiveness, of course is rosin. A light-colored rosin is generally used, and lard and beeswax are added in different proportions, and sometimes even gutta-percha. A solvent for the latter con- stituent is naptha or ether. Shipley's book (an English work) gives the following receipt for making transparent wax : — " Put two ounces of the best and lightest-colored rosin and one drachm of- beeswax into a pipkin over a slow fire ; when well dissolved, simmer them for ten minutes longer, then add two drachms of white pomatum, and allow the whole to simmer for a quarter of an hour longer, constantly stirring it ; pour the liquid into a basin of clean, cold water, and it will assume a thick transparent consistency ; while yet warm knead it by pulling it very much through the fingers till cold ; the last operation giving it toughness and that silvery opacity which it assumes when properly compounded." 416 AMP]RTCAN ANGLER'S BOOK Chitty says he has made this wax after Mr. Shipley's receipt, and liiiding it too brittle added a half-drachm more of pomatum. He further says, " another receipt for the same, is eight ounces of white rosin and one tablespoonful of lin- seed-oil. This I have not tried." Chitty also advises the fly-maker to dissolve a lump of shoemaker's (anglice cohler^s) wax in a sufficient quantity of spirits of wine. I have found alcohol (but not weaker than 95°) a solvent, and also ether. This is a liquid wax, and enables one to wax his silk by immersing it in the solution ; but I found on trial that the alcohol evaporates after a while, leaving the silk imperfectly waxed The best wax I have ever used in making flies was given me by Mr. George, who ties flies for Philip Wilson, Chestnut Street above Fourth, Philadelphia. 27 CHAPTER XVI. F L Y - M A K I N Q . " To frame the little animal, provide All the gay hues that wait on female pride; Let Nature guide thee; sometimes golden -svire The shining bellies of the fly require ; The peacock's plumes thy tackle must not fail, Nor th^ dear purchase of the sable's tail. Each gaudy bird some tender tribute brings. And lends the growing insect proper wings: Silks of all colors must their aid impart. And every fur promote the fisher's art." Gay. CHAPTER XVI. FLY-MAKING. Implements. — Hand-Vice, Spring-Pliers, &c. — Book for holding materials. Materials. — Hooks. — Gut. — Tinsel.— Dubbing. — Hackles. — Wings. To tie a plain Hackle. — To tie a Palmer. — To make a fly with wings. Before attempting a description of this art, it would be as well to acknowledge that few amateurs attain the neatness and dexterity of those who follow it as a business. To those who have not leisure, or fish but seldom, it does not pay for the trouble and patience bestowed on learning it ; such per- sons had better buy their flies than make them. But to one who has time, and is anxious to become conversant with all that pertains to our gentle craft, there is no in-door occupa- tion so absorbing and time-killing, and one forgets in it little annoyances or heavier cares, and almost finds at home a substitute for the pleasures of the stream. The satisfaction of taking fish is also increased, if it be with the product of one's own skill ; and the angler can adopt any little fancy of his own, and produce exactly the thing he desires, and have his flies on the particular size, shape, or make of hook he prefers ; he can also use the kind of gut he thinks best for drop-flies or stretchers, and gratify any other whim. But who can lucidly explain this art ? Few writers make it plain, from Cotton down to Hofland, ''Ephemera," and Eonalds, with their elaborate illustrations. So it is with some doubt as to enlightening the learner that I attempt it, but (419) 420 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK would rather commend him to some friend who is an adept, or to a professional fly-maker. A few hours spent with a skilful fly-dresser is worth a volume of written directions and illustrations. Implements. — -The amateur fly-tier of the present day has many little implements which assist him greatly : there is the pin-vice, which are fingers to him, holding the hook securely ; spring-pliers, or, as some call them, forceps, to assist in hack- ling; a stout darning-needle to pick out the dubbing; a pair of sharp scissors, &c., &c. These can be kept in a wallet or large pocket-book, with the materials for making flies. The FLY-MAKING. 421 proper shape and size of ttie vice and spring-pliers are repre- sented by the foregoing cut. Materials. — In collecting materials for flies, the angler becomes " seised and possessed" of manj^ chattels, which he may husband for years before he finds use for them, and it may be necessary, occasionally, to overhaul his wallet, and discard those that are useless, if he does not wish it to grow to an inconvenient size. There are some materials, in the way of feathers and dubbing, described by English writers, which cannot be had here, unless imported to one's order ; but he who has a proper appreciation of his wants, and keeps his eyes open, can collect all that is necessary, with very little outlay of time or money. He does not see a bird — a wild duck, a cock, an old hen, a turkey, or a peacock, without suitable feathers being presented to his eye. He will see dubbing everywhere : his wife's muff, the cat. or a lapdog, or a gray or red squirrel, or a hare, or a pile of mortar with tufts of cow's hair lying about it, or the place where there has been a hog-killing, with the refuse, down, or furze cast heedlessly by, a buffalo-robe, a bear-skin, a foot-rug, all sug gest dubbing. Old pattern-cards of moreen in the store of his dry-goods friend are begged for. Silk floss of suitable colors are sought after, as well as gold and silver thread and tinsel. All thcvse are garnered up with miserly care, and stuffed into the dubbing-pocket of his book or wallet of f\y materials. He need be in no hurry to collect them, for if he has the bump of acquisitiveness, he will in good time stock his wallet to repletion, without sending to Demarara for green monkey's fur, or to India for the feathers of a golden pheasant, or to England for a starling's wing or the fur of a water rat. A wallet, with suitable pockets and compartments to hold the necessary implements and materials, need not be over eight inches long, five deep, and four or five wide. There 422 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK should be one pocket for dubbing ; one for feathers, which are kept most conveniently in envelopes, each kind separate ; and another for floss, wrapping-silk, &c. Hooks should be kept in different parchment parcels, each appropriately num- bered, and slipped under a leather band stitched at intervals to the inside of the wrapper of the wallet. Under the same band there should also be loops for each tool. The leather wrapper should be part of the wallet and wrap around it, and should be tied with a leather string. This kind of wallet or book of materials can be opened and spread out on a table, or on the grass, or on a rock ; it is easily kept in order, and when folded up is compact and occupies but little space in stowing. A larger one than the size just described is required for materials for Salmon -flies. It may be asked by the learner, What fowls of the air, or water, or of the barn -yard, furnish these feathers? What is a hackle ? What part of the fowl is it plucked from ? What feathers of its plumage furnish the wings of the fly? Where do you buy tinsel and floss, and so on, and what kind of hooks are most suitable, and what sizes of them do you use for particular flies ? Patience, my dear boy, if you are really anxious to know all about it, or all I can think of just now on so momentous a subject, I will not put you off with the hurried rigmarole I have just given you, but will commence <]lje novo, and tell you in a more orderly way what you will want and how to get it. If we were in London or Dublin or Limerick, we would step into a tackle store, and lay down our money, and, presto, all we wanted, and more too, would appear on the counter. But here we are thrown on our own resources, and must do the best we can ; and the best we can is quite as well as we could do in any of the old cities or towns I have just named, as far as tying Trout-flies is concerned ; wlien we tie our Salmon-flies, we are to some extent dependent FLY- MAKING. 423 on them. I say this to disabuse you of the erroneous impres- sion that Mr. John Gay's verses, which I quoted just now, may create in your mind. For although they are very good poetry, it is nonsense about providing "all the gay hues that wait on female pride:" and what he says about "the dear purchase of the sable's tail," or what some other pedantic old fly-fisher says, when he tells you that the tail of a certain fly must be made of " three whisks of a black cat's beard." For you need not go to the furrier's to buy a sable's tail, or go hunting your own or your neighbor's garret for a black cat to get his beard. Only use the most suitable materials you can procure, without spending so much money, or tres- passing on your neighbor, and you will catch a great many Trout before they find out that j^ou have not gone according to Mr. Gay's or Cotton's directions, or your humble servant's either. Let us take up the articles in the order in which we use them. The first is the hook, therefore let us talk about Hooks. — The improved Limerick hook of the O'Shaugh- nessy pattern, is by all odds the best for Avinged flies ; it is not so apt to draw from a fish's mouth without hooking, as the old-fashioned Limerick. I prefer it to the sneck-bend or Aberdeen hook. For Hackles and Palmers, which have no wings, I like a neat fine- wired Kirby, because the point turns to one side, and it is, therefore, more apt to hook a fish, even tlian the O'Shaughnessy. The reason I do not use the Kirby for winged flies is, that this turning of the point to one side, has a tendency to throw^ the fly on its side, and prevent it from swimming true ; for the wings of a fly should set upright, that is, they should not incline more to one side than the other. A Hackle or a Palmer having no wings, and the fibres of the hackle-feather, which represent the legs of a caterpillar, or the hairy body of other larvae, sticking out 424 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK on all sides, regularly unequal, if I may use tlie term ; it matters little whether it floats on its " beam ends," or swims on an " even keel." Tlie reader will note the difference in the shape of the hooks mentioned above, by referring to the plate of hooks on page 61. Gut. — Stretcher flies should be tied on full lengths of fine gut. Droppers should be made on short, stout pieces, so that the fly will set well out, and at right-angles from the leader, and not lap over it, or twist aroimd it. For droppers a single length of gut may be divided into at least three parts, for as T have already said, the piece to which a dropper is tied should not be more than five inches long. WeappinG'Silk. — If the silk is fine and strong it matters little about the color, for the only place where it is visible after the fly is finished, is at the fastening off' of the head. The best silk I have ever seen is kept by the English and Irish tackle-stores, and is made expressly for the purpose. The fine three-cord silk used for sewing machines, No. 000, is the best we can get here. Tinsel. — Silver and gold tinsel, both flat and twisted, are required to rib the hodj, or tip the end of it. For Trout-flies the flat is chiefly used ; in Salmon-flies all four of them will most likely be required. This article is kept sometimes by trimming-storeS; or where the trimmings for military clothing are manufactured. The Irish tackle-stores have it made on purpose for tying their own flies, and to sell it to amateur fly- makers. When I have not been able to get it in any other way, I have taken the broad woven strips of tinsel, from around pieces of Irish linen, and drawn or ravelled out the particular kind I wanted ; it is not as suitable, though, as that sold by the tackle-stores. Dubbing. — This is the material of which the body of the fly is composed. It may be mohair, seal's wool, pig's wool, FLY- MAKING. 425 or floss silk, or the fur of some animal ; or raveliings of moreen — an article used to cover the cushions of chairs or pews, or for curtains. The hurls, or as some call them the "harls," of the peacock's tail-feathers, or of ostrich plumes, are also extensively used for the bodies of Trout-flies. Hurls are the long delicate plumelets that grow on each side of the main stem of the feather. Mohair, seal's wool, pig's wool (or pig's down as it is frequently called), and floss-silk, which are chiefly used for Salmon-flies, should be of various colors. Those mostly used are light-red, blood-red, dark-red, and maroon ; snuff-brown and dark-brown ; pale-yellow or lemon- color, bright decided yellow, orange, and tawny yellow; light blue and steel or mazarine blue : decided green and pea- green ; white, lead-color, and black. Wool should never be used for dubbing, as it absorbs much water and makes the fly soggy. I seldom use mohair, pig's wool, or seal's wool for Trout-flies (they are better for Salmon-flies, seal's wool being- preferable), and as far as 1 can, discard fur, as a dubbing, and use chiefly the raveliings of moreens, flosses, and hurls. Of the peacock's hurl, the copper- colored tint is greatly to be preferred ; three-fourths of the bodies of the Trout-flies I make for my own use are wrapped with it. Mohair, pig's wool, and seal's wool, when the fly-maker wants them already dyed, must be imported from England and Ireland. Fur-dubbing, flosses, and hurls, can easily be obtained here. If the reader wishes to tr}^ his hand at dyeing- dubbing, he will find receipts in the preceding chapter. Hackles. — The word " hackle" is used in two senses ; when spoken of as a material, it is that which represents the legs of the winged fly, and is wound around the body under the wings, or spirally over the body from the tail. The word is also used to designate the hairy-looking repre- sentation of an insect, or caterpillar, or other larva, and with 426 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. flj-fishers, a " Hackle," or a " Palmer," though neither has wings, is known as " a fly." I mention the " hackle" here as a material ; there are two kinds. First, the hackles of the domestic fowl. Those of the cock are the long brilliant feathers that droop gracefully on each side of the tail ; they are known amongst ornithologists as the "tail-coverts;" the boys call them "shiners." There are hackles also on the neck of the cock, which are shorter and also stiffer towards the head. The neck-hackles in most cases are of lighter color than the tail -coverts ; the latter may be dark enough to make a good Soldier or Eed Hackle, while those on the neck of the same cock may be light, and have sufficient yellow tinge in them for Ginger Hackles. The same cock may also furnish short, stiff hackles from between the tail-coverts, just on the lower part of its back, which are of a brownish red tint, and will make an excellent Brown Hackle on a small hook. Hens furnish hackles only from the neck, which are short and soft. A Furnace Hackle is a commixture of fiery red and black ; a "Coch a bondu" has its fibres black at the roots and red at the extremities. When other feathers than those of the domestic fowl are used as hackles, they are taken indiscriminately from any part of the bird's body, where the best feathers for the purpose can be found ; such as the wing-coverts, or rump-feathers of the pinnated grouse (prairie fowl) ; spruce grouse (Canadian) ; partridge, snipe, woodcock, or wren's tail. Such feathers, though, are not as suitable as those taken from a cock, for the fibres do not set out so stiffly, and when used for drop- pers and dapping along on the surface of the water, the fibres close against the body and give it an unattractive appearance. Cock's hackles, in all their variety, white, yellow, ginger, red, brown, furnace, coch a bondu, and black, can be had of FLl'-MAKING. 427 your friends who keep fowls, or in any barnyard, and with the hackles from the birds above mentioned, are all that are required for Trout-flies. Hackles for Salmon-flies are nearly all of them dyed, and are generally imported to one's order. If the reader wishes to trj^ his hand at dyeing them for himself, as I have said of dubbing, he can find receipts for the different colors in the preceding chapter. Wi^^GS. — The most suitable feathers of the birds common to our country, for Trout-flies, are the tail and secondary wing feathers (those next the pinions) of the wild and tame pigeons, the gull, blue heron, prairie-fowl, spruce-grouse, snipe, woodcock, partridge, and domestic hen, and from the wing- coverts of the mallard and wood-duck. These, with a few feathers of the red ibis and flamingo, are all that are required for Trout -flies. The last two are foreign birds, and the feathers are seldom used except for the Sea-Trout of the British provinces, or lake-flies. For the wings of Salmon- flies, the best feathers of native birds are the wino-coverts of the teal, mallard, wood-duck, and canvas-back, the tail-feathers of the wild and tame turkey, the domestic hen, and the pea fowl. It may be as well to say here that the drake mallard only furnishes that beautifully mottled brown feather that all fly-makers admire so much ; there are but five or six on each side of the duck ; they are found just at the elbows of the wings ; immediately beneath them are found two or three gray feathers, which are serviceable when a light wing is required for high water. The imported feathers used for Salmon-flies are from the crest, ruft', tail, and wing of the golden pheasant, and tail and wing of the argus pheasant. Blue, yellow, and red macaw are used for feelers (antennae), but from my experience, I am convinced that feelers on a Salmon-fly are about as useless as the long tails made of silk- 428 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK v/orm gut, which English fly-makers append to Troui-flies, with a vague idea of imitating the tails of the ephemeridae. The throat, or rather the upper part of the body, of a Salmon- fly occasionally has. a few turns of a blue-jay's feather (taken from the butt of the wing), or of some high-colored breast- feather of a water-fowl or land-bird. The collars and tags of Salmon-flies are made generally of peacock or ostrich hurl, or the breast-feathers of birds of brilliant plumage. And now, my incipient fly-maker (I do not write this for the ' old ones') I have told you in a few minutes what it has taken me nearly a quarter of a century to learn ; I have picked it up by mites, *' here a little, and there a little," and I do not know half as much as I would like to know and hope to know, for fly-makers and fly-fishers are learning something of the art as long as they can twirl their fingers or cast a whip of flies. Both branches of the science, the rudiments of which are so easy to learn, run into the abstruse — I was going to say even into the occult: the subject, like the tip of a fine fly-rod, is almost infinitesimal in its tenuity. I would have given a great deal to know as much as I have told you, when I was a beginner — a great deal more than you will have to pay for what many persons will deem a very foolish book. — Let them alone, " for to them it is not given" to know of the things that pertain to the gentle art, or to appreciate the scenes through which the pursuit of it leads us ; for " seeing, they see not" God's love and handiwork in the little wild flowers that grow along our path ; and '' hearing, they hear not" His voice in the song of the bird and the music of the brook, " neither do they understand." I hope such people will not bother us while I endeavor to show you how to tie a fly with the help of these four simple figures, which I have drawn expressly for the purpose. F L Y - M A K [ N a . 429 To TIE Hackles and Palmers. — To make the first lesson as easy as possible, suppose we tie a plain Ginger Hackle for a drop-fly. It will b(; easier to make it on a large hook, say No. 4. Let us select the materials, and . lay them before us : viz., wrapping-silk, hook, floss-silk, a ginger hackle, and a short stout piece of gut, as we intend it for a dropper. Now let us beg^in : — Figure 1 is a hook in its proper position, whether it is held in the jaws of your pin- vice or between the thumb and fore- finger of your left. hand. You see that I have laid the silk on near the bend of the hook, and taken four or five turns, the last one about an eighth of an inch from the head. Figure 2 shows that I have laid a short piece of gut (after indenting it four or five times with my fore teeth) on the top of the shank (underneath will do as well), and whipped it on securely as far down as A, where I have fastened in a bit of tawny yellow silk-floss, which should be about six inches long. 430 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK We now come to figure 3. I have taken a few turns of my wrapping-silk up the shank to C, and followed it with the floss, increasing the bulk of the body somewhat tow^ards the upper end. I have also fastened the end of the floss, and tied in the tip end of a ginger hackle with three turns of my wrapping-silk, the under part of the hackle being uppermost, so that, in winding it on, the back of it will lie next to the hook. I ought to have stroked the fibres of the hackle back towards the root of the feather ; it is my usual custom. If you use the spring-pliers, grasp the butt end of the hackle between its jaws ; its chief use is in holding the hackle in place, by its pendent weight, when you have occasion to let it go, or in fastening off. Now for figure 4. You see I have wound the hackle on carefully to nearly the head of the hook. I have fastened it with three turns of my silk, and nipped off the surplus end of the hackle. Now I lay the wrapping-silk DD on the shank of the hook, and form the loop DF, and then take three turns with the slack F, wrapping over the end DD towards the head of the hook, and, holding it down securely with the finger and thumb of my left hand, I take hold of the end D which you see sticking out to the left, and draw in the slack FD, and cut it off. If the fibres of the » hackle stick out irregularly, pointing in different directions and looking wild, like a little boy's head when he gets up in the morning, I take my large darning-needle and "order them aright." I have a phial of varnish not larger than the end of my finger sitting on the table ; there is a sharp little stick thrust through the cork ; I now pull out the cork, and touch the head of the fly with a drop of shellac on the end of the stick, and lay it by to dry. You will no doubt notice that in drawing the fourth figure FLY -MAKING. 431 the width of the page has limited the length of the gut to which the fly is tied. I hope you will not use so short a piece. In tying a fly on a whole length of gut, for the sake of convenience the gut is coiled up into a circumference not larger than the loop FD, and the end passed through two or three times to hold it in coil. " Let me tell you. Scholar," that the plain-looking Hackle we have just tied, is the root to this tree of knowledge, which the uninitiated think so difficult to climb ; but take it easy, and tie a half-dozen or so of such hackles, and just as certain as Trout rise at a fly, you will in time climb the tree and attain to all the higher branches — even to the most elaborate and gaudy Salmon-fly, that adorns the topmost bough. Now let us beautify our Hackle with a little bit of tinsel, and then I will introduce you to its first cousin the Palmer. If you intend to tip the tail of your fly with tinsel, let B in figure 2 represent a strip of it. It is to be fastened in at A, and three turns of it taken towards the bend of the hook, and then two or three turns back to A, where it is fastened w^ith three turns of the wrapping-silk. The floss, or hurl, or dubbing is then fastened in and the fly proceeded with as before described. If you wish to rib the body with tinsel or gold thread, you must tie it in at A before you tie in the end of floss or hurl that you intend to make the body of. After the body is formed, the tinsel, or gold, or silver thread is wound on spirally as far as C, and the fly from that point completed as already shown. To make a Palmer with a floss silk or hurl body, you first tie in the end of the hackle at A (figure 2), then the tinsel, and then the floss or hurl. The material you tie in last must be wound on first. For instance, first wind on the hurl or 432 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK floss to C (figure 3), then the tinsel, and then the hackle in the spaces left between tlie spiral coils of the tinsel ; they are fastened each with two turns of the silk, and the ends cut off in the order in which they are mentioned, and then the head of the fly is finished as before directed. The term " dubbing," is applied more especially to mate- rial of short fibre used in making the body of the fly, as fur, or pig's or seal's wool ; it is spun sparsely around the waxed wrapping- silk, and wound on with it. In making a body of peacock hurl, three or four of the little plumelets are fastened in at the tail, then twisted with the wrapping-silk and wound on. The hurl does not fray off if wound on thus, as it does when it is wrapped around by itself. I have now described the manner of making four different kinds of hackles. First, a plain Hackle without tinsel. Second, a Hackle, its end tipped with tinsel. Third, a Hackle, its body ribbed with tinsel or gold thread. Fourth, a Palmer, its body ribbed with tinsel or gold thread, and a hackle wound between the spaces or coils of the tinsel or gold thread, from tail to head. A Palmer may also be made without any tinsel, that is, it may be wound with the hackle alone. When a Palmer of this description is intended to be "buz," that is, very bushy, two hackles, are tied in at the tail and wound together to the head, where they are fastened as before directed. Before we go any further, let me say a word or two about selecting your hackles — I mean the feather of which you make your Hackle-fly — and warn you against a fault, which professional fly-makers, who are not practical fly-fishers, are apt to fall into. In choosing your feathers, the length of the fibres should be in proportion to the size of the hook, or rather the length of its shank. We frequently see a Hackle or a Palmer wound with a feather, the fibres of which are so FLY-MA KIX(i. 433 sliort as to make it look bare — like a long-legged boy in a bobtail coat. In this case there is more hook than hackle ex- posed to the eye of the expectant Trout, and of course it is the less attractive. Then, again, we see a small hook wound with a hackle, the fibres of which are too long, coming far below the bend — like a short-legged boy dressed in his " daddy's" long-tail coat. Now if such a boy should be detected in stealing your peaches, and should make his exit from your premises through a hole in the fence, if you were somewhat slow in grabbing him, you would most likely find yourself in the predicament in which Joseph left Potiphar's Avife ; that is, with only a part of the extremity of the aforesaid long-tail coat in your fist. Judge then of the disappointment of the Troat and yourself too. He expects to grab a good-looking cater- pillar, but if he does not open his mouth very wide, or if he s at all indifferent, he goes off" with a few hairlike fibres between his teeth. You expect from the beautiful rise, and the tug you feel, that you have a Trout on, but the next moment your line comes bootless home to you. And thus with a small hook and a long-fibred hackle, you will fre- quently fool the Trout and the Trout will fool you. It does not follow, as many fly-makers suppose, that because a fly is tied on a small hook it is a small fly ; on the contrary, a great many of the flies sold in tackle-stores are large flies on small hooks. In other words, the hackle or wings so far exceed the hook in their proportions, as to make the fly unattractive to the fish, and less apt to hook him, when he tries to seize it. The fibres of the hackle, therefore, while they may reach the bottom of the hook, should never extend much, if at all, below it. To MAKE A Fly with Wings. — '- Thus far we have run before the wind," and although it may appear that we have made but little headway, still, if you have taken your 28 434 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK, observations earorully, and kept a proper reckoning, by referring to our little chart, you will find that your voyage of exploration is nearly ended. By the foregoing yon have found out what materials the ship is built of, and how to put them together, and you ought by this time certainly to " know the ropes ;" the mere tying on of the wings is nothing more than bending the sails. I have made the drawing below to show how easily it is done. ^^k "£'' Figure 1 is a feather with a section large enough for the wings of a fly for a No. 4 hook clipped from it. Figure 2 is the section removed. 3 is the section after once folding it. It is then folded again, compressed between the thumb and forefinger of the right hand, and laid on the back of the liook with the tips of the fibres pointing towards the bend. The manipulation which precedes the tying on of the wings, is the sa.me as already described in making a Hackle, with these few exceptions : — First, in forming the body, it should be elongated somewhat towards the head. Secondly, the hackle should be shorter, or the fibres stripped from one side of the stem. For the legs of a winged fly. which the fibres of the hackle are intended to represent, are not as F L Y - M A K I N G . 435 numerous as the legs or bristling hairs of larva?. Tlurdly, the eock\s hackle should not extend over more than half as much of the shank of the hook, as it does in the Hackle-fly I have already shown you how to tie; and, in winding it on, the fibres should be pressed downwards under the belly of the fly ; few or none of them being allowed to remain sticking up between the wings. Fourthly, space enough should be left at the head for setting on the wings and fastening off. By referring to the foregoing illustration, the reader will observe, as I have already explained, that figure 2 is a section clipped from a feather. B}- doubling the two edges of the section togther, it will represent wings pointing obliquely in different directions. (See figure 3.) Now double it again, and still again, if necessary, and compress the fibres closely between your thumb and forefinger, and lay them on the back of the hook, so that the edge of the section will set upwards, as you will observe in figures 5, 6, 7, or 8 of the plate ol' Trout-flies. Now take three turns with your silk, clip off the surplus at the butt end of the wings, and fasten off" with the invisible knot as already shown. Tails. — In flies where tinsel is not used, the tail is fastened in immediately after the gut is whipped on. If the body is tipped with tinsel, this material is first wrapped on, and the tail fastened in above it. Much unnecessary trouble is spared by not attempting to tie on the wings (either of Trout or Salmon flies) separately, as some writers direct. Nor is at all necessary to pass the wrapping-silk diagonally between the fibres to separate them into wings. For in doubling the section of a feather, as already shown, the fibres will point somewhat obliquely in opposite directions, representing the two points of the wings; and even if they do not, it makes no difference, for most of the natural flies that light on the water belong to that order 436 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK whose wings are held in an upright position when at rest, and are folded so closely together as to look like one wing- rising from the middle of the back. When a fly of this order is to be represented, two turns of your wrapping-silk should be taken close up under the butt of the wings, to give them an upright set. The most accomplished fly-maker I ever met with (an amateur), has a way of terminating the body abruptly near the head, making a shoulder against which he presses the root of the wings, and secures them firmly. Flies without tails are of that order known as beetle-flies, as the Phryganidse and similar families, which fold their wings flat on their backs when at rest. Those with tails belong to the Ephemeridae. A winged fly is sometimes made without a hackle, if pig's- wool is used for dubbins^, the rouo-h coarse fibre of the dub- bing being picked out under the wings, to represent the legs of the fly. There are several different ways of tying flies ; nearly every fly-maker has something peculiar in his method. Some tie on the wings immediately before whipping on the gut, the tips of the wings pointing forward ; they are turned back into their proper position, and secured with three turns of the wrapping-silk after the body is completed and the hackle wound on. Other fly-makers begin at the head, after the gut is whipped on, and work towards the tail, where they fiidsh off. The method which I have described, and which I conceive to be the easiest, is the one most generally adopted. I shall not prolong this chapter, which I have already extended beyond the limit I first intended, by attempting to describe the manner of tying Salmon -flies, but assure the reader that any person who can tie Trout-flies, will find no difficulty in it. It is requisite that Salmon-flies should be tied with a greater regard to strength and durability. Although FLY-MAKING. 43' there is more detail and elaboration, they do not require the same delicate manipulation that Trout-flies do. It is much better to learn to tie a fly without a hand- vice or spring-pliers. If one's fingers are long and pliant, the knack can be acquired with perseverance. Those who use only their fingers are the great masters in the art. If your fingers are clumsy or dumpy, these accessories should be used ; but the abominable permanent vice screwed to a table, as depicted in the books of some of my co-laborers in this "field of science," no one should resort to, unless he has ten thumbs on his two hands ; and even to such persons the pin- vice which I have pictured on a preceding page Avould be more convenient. A few pages back I deprecated the use of hackles with long fibres on small hooks ; there is also another vanity which is "done under the sun" by tackle-makers. I am ashamed to own that it is purely an Americanism. Irishmen, and even the London tackle-makers with all their cockney foolery, have never perpetrated such a thing. It was origi- nated by some New York angler, without regard to truth or nature, and the tackle-stores there have perpetuated the hum- bug, and imposed these deformities on greenhorns ever since. I refer to those short- winged, pot-bellied flies ; there are several of them; one is known as the ''Deer-fly." No such fly daps on the water or hovers over its surface to deposit its eggs, any more than a bumble-bee does. The Deer-fly, if found in nature at all, is the very opposite of flies that Trout feed on, such as the gossimer- winged ephemera, which soars and flits through the air, like a thought in a dream, while the imitation of the other, with its big body and short wings, is more like the picture of a Dutch angel on a pane of painted glass. Do not buy them, do not make them ; they are gross humbugs. 438 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK There is one tiling more I want to tell you before I close this chapter, which almost unconsciously to me has assumed the style of an epistle (I hope I am not too familiar on so short an acquaintance); it is this: do not throw away all your iirst attempts that appear big-headed or wild in their habili- ments, for a much rougher-looking fly than you suppose will kill ; but if you are ashamed to let them be seen by the "old ones," lay them in the back folds of your fly-book to give away to the boys on your fishing excursions, for you will be very apt to meet some dumpy, pigeon-toed little fellow on the stream or in the road, who will salute von with, • Please Sir, give me a Fly-hook CHAPTER XVII. R O D - M A K I N Ct. "All things are full of labor, man cannot utter it: the eye is not .satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. The tiling that hath been, is that which shall be; and that which is done, is that which f^hall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun." ECCLESIASTES. CHAPTER XVII. KOD-MAKING. Woods used in making rods. — Wood and Malacca cane for fly-rods. — Materials used by amateur rod-makers. — To make a fly-rod of three pieces. — To make a tip. — To stain a rod. — Oiling and varnishing. — Wrapping splices and putting on rings. — To make a " rent and glued," or quarter- sectioned tip. — Draw-plate and V tool illustrated and ex- plained.— Manner of splitting cane and joining the pieces of a quarter- sectioned tip described by diagram. — Making middle pieces and tips without splices. — Manner of making a fly-rod to be adjusted to light or heavy fishing. — Ferule-making. Anglers are apt to become fastidious as to tlie spring and taper of their rods, especially those used in fly-fishing, and are frequently considered by persons of less experience, " more nice than wise." If the former have leisure and a mechanical turn, they can make rods for different kinds of angling, and whether for bottom or fly-fishing, can adopt any fancy they may have as to proportions or materials. Thus rod-making, like tying flies, becomes not only an amusement, but may be ranked among the useful as well as the orna- mental requisites in the education of a complete angler. The early attempts of the writer were in reducing the joints of his fly -rods, which he thought over stiff; then in making an occasional new joint, or tip, wrapping on rings, &c., and so on to making ferules, which at first was done without the help of a lathe. Having learned the art of brazing and rounding them over a mandrel from a neighboring jeweller, (441) 4^2 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. he made them smooth and to fit neatly by the simple use of flat files, emery powder, and a burnisher. A love of " tiid-cer- ing," however, and the kind approval of friends as to some fancied or real excellence in the rods he made for them, induced an investment in a latbe, work-bench, tools, &c., and many pleasant hours have since been given to making rods, from the witliy little switch of a fly-rod, for Trout-fishing, to the " heavy artillery" used in trolling, Bass-fishing, and even in taking the lordly Salmon. Woods used in Eod-making. — It should be borne in mind that there is much difference in the strength and elasticity of woods of the same kind. A tree of slow growth is much harder and closer grained than one whose growth has been rapid. The white part, which is called the "sap," in contra- distinction to the heart, as a general thing is preferable if not too near the bark. There are several kinds of hickory and ash, the white coarse-grained of the latter, possessing a third or a half more strength and spring than the red ash. American hickory is used almost exclusively by English rod-makers for second and third joints; it has the recom- mendation of strength, and if well seasoned is elastic, though inferior in either respect to ironwood,* which appears to be scarcely known, or certainly not appreciated by rod- makers in this country or in England. This wood is found in the mountainous districts of North America, from Canada to Virginia and perhaps even further south. It grows gener- rally in damp places, and is known under other local names, as " hornbeam," " leverwood," and " barwood." It is almost * There are two diiFcrent trees known as ironwood ; that referred to here is mentioned in botanical books as Carpinus osirya. It has a smooth cylindrical trunk with a thin grayish bark, and is of slow growth ; a tree of five or six inches when sawed in two, showing forty or fifty concentric circles, indicating that it is just so many years old. ROD-MAKING. 44:') white, even to the heart, and the laminae remarkably close and fine ; it breaks with a long splintery fracture, the very oppo- site of lancewood, which though stiff' and springy is not so strong, but short and crisp in its grain. For trolling or bait rods, the butt may be of almost any hard wood. If hollow, good maple or ash will do ; some- times holly is used in England. The second piece should be of good white ash or hickory; the third of hickory or iron- wood ; and the tip of lancewood or the best-seasoned iron- wood, or spliced bamboo, or East India reed, known as " Malacca cane." Unless ordered in three, English fly -rods, intended for Trout-fishing, are generally of four pieces. The woods mostly used are, ash for the butt, and hickory for the second and third joints. The tip for one-fourth or a third of its length, of hickory or lancewood, and the remainder, out to the point, of spliced bamboo. I would recommend for a Trout fly-rod, white ash for the but, ironwood for the middle piece, and Malacca cajie, rent and glued, for the tip. The latter material is much superior to the short-jointed bamboo used by professional rod-makers, both in strength and elasticity, having a steel-like spring which the bamboo does not possess, besides being longer between the joints, and consequently requiring fewer splices. The bamboo is seldom more than ten inches, Avhile the cane is frequently sixteen or eighteen inches between the joints, if taken near the butt. The amateur rod-maker should be provided with a work- bench six or eight feet long, and a vice on one side or at one end of it, a drawing-knife, a jack and a fore plane, a large coarse flat file (those used for sharpening mill -saws are best), sand-paper, and several strips of wood about two feet long, with grooves of different sizes in them. One of these pieces of wood is to be screwed firmly in the vice, and the stick is 444 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK to be held in the groove, and turned with the left hand, while you are spokeshaving or filing it ^\-ith your right. To MAKE A Fly-Eod OF THREE PIECES. — After deciding on the proportions of the rod, and having made or bought ferules of appropriate size, select a well-seasoned piece of ash for the butt, and, with the drawing-knife and plane, work it down to something like the desired size ; that is, sufficiently large at one end for the grasp of the hand, and tapering to something larger than the size of the ferule at the other end ; the sides of the stick all the while being kept as nearly square as possible. Then plane the corners off, so that a section w411 present as near the shape of an octagon as you can get it. Now screw the strip of wood with the largest groove fast in your vice, and, laying the stick id it, work it as nearly round as you can with your spokeshave and file, bringing it all the while nearer the intended shape and size. Then polish it oft' with fine sand-paper, and fit on the first ferule. To make the second or middle joint, as it may be called, use only the plane, laying the stick between two thin strips, tacked on the work-bench while planing it (on account of its length and small size), keeping it square and taking off the corners, to bring it to an octagon. Then screw into your vice a strip of wood with a smaller groove than the one you tised for the buttf, and round the stick with spokeshave and file, and rub it down with sand-paper as you did the butt, and fit the larger end into the first ferule, and the smaller into the second ferule. Let me here say that' there is some sleight required in filing a long thin piece of wood. The file should be held obliquely, and passed over the stick as it is held and turned in the groove with theJeft hand ; occasionally rubbing the file with a straight fore-and-aft motion over the stick, as if planing it, which will take off any irregularities left from the other mode of filini>:. KOD-MAKING. 445 To MAKE A Tip {Anglid ''Top"). — Take a piece of good Malacca cane, as long between the joints as you can get it. Split off as many pieces of tlie size as you require, and reduce each piece with spokeshave and file, cutting away the soft inner part, each piece being smaller than the preceding one as you approach the small end of the tip. In working down the pieces for the tip, the groove in the strip of wood which you screw into your vice should be very small. Bevel the ends of each piece of cane sufficiently to let them make a good splice, say two inches and a half, two inches, and an inch and a half. Apply the glue hot to the surfaces which come into contact, lay them together, and wrap the splice firmly with strong fine twine or good packthread, and lay them by for twelve hours for the glue to set and dry. If the splices are well glued, you may remove the wrappings next day, and finish your tip without any fear of its coming apart while you work it down. The final wrapping of the sj^lices, which I will presently describe, it is better to defer until after the tip and stouter joints of the rod are oiled and varnished. After the tip is finished, join all three pieces of the rod together, and, by bending and handling it, find where it requiresreducing to make it spring uniformly and feel exactly right to the hand, unjointing it and filing eac^j|i piece sepa- rately in doing so. To Stain- a Eod. — Before staining, wet the different pieces and let them dry, when the fi^bres of the wood will rise and present a rough surface ; then rub ^ch stick smooth with sand-paper, and repeat the operation *until the grain of the wood will remain smooth after wetting. If you intend to varnish it without staining, this process is unnecessary. In staining, avoid powerful acids, particularly in the delicate parts of the rod, and try rather to dye the grain of the wood 446 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. than merely to color the surface. By experimenting with red and black ink, the extract of logwood, and water in differ- ent proportions, many shades of maroon and brown can be had. Common writing-ink diluted with water produces a neutral tint, and smoking-tobacco steeped in hot water a light tawny yellow. The rod should not be too deeply stained, if you wish the grain of the wood to show handsomely. Repeated coats of ink produce a black. Oiling and Vaknishing. — After trying several varnishes that were warranted to stand weather and using, I have found them all to rub or chip off' so much in the course of a summer, as to expose the wood to moisture, which seriously impairs its elasticity. I have had fly -rods which were covered with three or four coats of shellac, and even those varnished with copal, become so limp with moisture on a drizzly day, as to be almost useless. To obviate such faults, I at last adopted the following method as the best to make a rod impervious, and to prevent the varnish from chipping off. When the rod has become perfectly dry after staining it, warm each piece before a stove or fire or over a spirit-lamp, and pouring some hoiled linseed-oil on a rag, rub it well into the grain of the wood ; repeat the operation two or three days after, and lay the rod by in some warm dry place for the oil to penetratdlJhe wood and become hard on the surface ; then if any excess of oil appears, assuming a glossy appearance and a sticky feeling, warm the stick again, and dissipate it by rubbing with a woollen rag with a very small portion of oil on it, and lay the rod by for a few days more. When you apply the varnish (let it be shellac), the first coat should be thin, pouring it on a rag and rubbing it on quickly and lightly, so that it may become incorporated some- what with the coat of oil, and in a few hours apply another thin coat in the same way. The next day give it a thicker R 0 D - M A K I N G . 447 coat with a flat camel's-hair brush, and repeat it every day or two for a week, and lay the rod by until the varnish has become hard enough to be rubbed down with powdered pumice or emery. This is done by spreading about a table- spoonful of the powder on a dripping-wet rag, and rubbing lightly, thereby giving a perfectly smooth surface. The pumice or emery powder should be Avashed off, and the rod receive another rubbing if not perfectly polished. When thoroughly dr}^, a final coat of very thin copal should be applied. Shellac can be diluted by adding alcohol, and removed from the fingers with the same solvent. The ferules should be permanently stuck on with hot shellac, after the oiling and varnishing is completed. Shellac is the best cement one can use in joining metal to wood, and is applied by heating the end of a joint over a spirit-lamp, and sticking on bits of the gum, turning the joint the meanwhile over the blaze, to keep the shellac flowing around the wood. Now stick on the ferule, hold it over the flame to heat it slightly, and press the joint in as far as necessary. The shellac will become hard in a few minutes. The custom of fastening on ferules Avith pins impairs the strength of the wood just where a rod is most likely to break. Little remains to be done now but wrapping the splices of the tip and putting on the rings. The formei^ performed thus : Stick a stout awl into the edge of your work-bench or into the top of a table, and holding the tip in the right hand, lay on the end of the silk with the left ; then, turning the tip with the right and guiding the silk with the left (the tip in the mean while bearing and revolving against the opposite side of the awl), wrap closely over the end of the silk and the whole length of the splice, and fasten off with the invisible knot. 448 A M E 11 r C A N ANGLER'S BOO K The ring-keepers* are wrapped in the same way ; but tlie manner of doing this can be better explained by examining the way in which the rings are put on any rod from a tackle- store. The same may be said of the wire loop through which the line passes at the end of the tip. Before putting on the rings, the rod should be joined together, getting it as nearly straight as possible, and marking the places for the rings. It may then be taken apart, and the rings put on each piece sepa- rately. On a tip four feet long, there should be about seven rings, beginning five or six inches from the small end, and in- creasing the distance between them as you near the larger end. Four rings are enough for the middle piece, and one or two for the butt. Small rings made of very light wire should be used for tips, and instead of the ordinary clumsy ring-keepers sold at the tackle-stores, it is better to cut from very thin sheet-brass, strips not more than the thirty-second part of an inch wide, and of convenient length — say six or eight inches long : these are more easily handled, the surplus length of the strip being nipped off after wrapping, and used for the next ring. To protect the wrappings of the splices and ring- keepers, apply several coats of thick shellac varnish with a small camel's-hair brush. The reel-bands, for reasons stated on a preceding page, should be a^|^he extreme end of the butt, and below the place where it is grasped by the hand Avhen casting. To MAKE A Rent and Glued, or Quarter-Section Tip. — With the object of uniting the greatest degree of strength and spring in the delicate portions of a fly-rod, and more particularly in the tip, an artist friend, who is not only a fine amateur mechanic, but an accomplished fly-fisher, some years * The little pieces of thin brass or copper thnt hold tlie rings again.st the rod. R 0 D - M A K I N G . 449 ago explained to me, by a few strokes of his pencil, how the soft inner part of cane or bamboo could be got rid of, and the hard elastic exterior only used, gluing four strips together side by side, and producing what he called a quarter- section tip, or what English rod-makers term a "rent and glued" tip. lie also made the simple tool represented below, in which are united what may be called a "V tool" and a " draw-plate." It is made of thin steel, and tempered very hard. o o o O O O The notch in the end and top of the plate are true right angles, with a cutting or rather a scraping edge; the holes also have scraping edges. When this implement is screwed in a vice, by drawing a piece of split cane through the V, with the outer surface of the cane uppermost, the soft inner part is scraped off; and when four such pieces have been reduced to the required size, and glued together, a section presents the appearance of figure G on the next wood-cut, the softer part of each strip coming together m the centre. The corners of G are then rounded off with a file, and to make each glued piece more truly round than an amateur can generally file them, they are still further reduced by draw- ing them through a hole of appropriate size in the plate, when the end of a piece will present the appearance of figure H in the next wood-cut. To be more explicit, and to insure a neater job, I will go over the ground again, and describe minutely my own way of making a four-sectioned tip. Take a piece of Malacca 29 450 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. cane, the outer and inner circles above presenting a section of it, split it in half at A A, and from one of these halves split the four strips BBBB, and draw each strip through the Y tool, scraping them down to the required size, the ends presenting the shape of the right angle under D or the little figure E. Then join two of these pieces lengthwise with hot glue, wrapping them tightly, and then the other two pieces in the same way, the end of each twin piece being represented by the figure F. Straighten them while pliant with the glue,' and lay them by over night for the glue to set firmly. Next day unwrap the twine from around the twin pieces, and lay- ing one of them in a small grove in the strip of wood screwed in your vice, the broad surface being uppermost, with your coarse file make it perfectly level. Then treat the other twin piece in the same way, and, applying the glue to the surface of each twin piece, bind them tightly together, straighten the quadruple piece thus formed (a section of which is repre- sented by G), and la}^ it aside for the glue to dry. Although I have sliown where the seams are in the butt ends or sections in the figures F, G-, and H, there are no seams visible when the strips are glued together. I have already explained how the qnadmplc pieces are R 0 D - M A K I N G . 451 reduced and rounded ; any number of them can be prepared at the same time. For several reasons, it is better thot the last ten or twelve inches of a tip for a Trout fly-rod should be a single piece ; that is, the piece itself should be a unit, not rent and glued after the manner just described; for in reducing so delicate a part, if quadrupled, the four pieces are apt to be of unequal thickness. Besides, the point of the tip is more apt to get wet than the lower part, and of course would be more apt to divide or split apart when so small a portion of glue is used. A tip made in this way shauld be wrapped at intervals of an inch along its whole length; six or eight turns of fine silk at each wrapping are sufficient ; each separate wrapping should be fastened off with the invisible knot. The middle piece of a Trout fly-rod may be made luithout splices, by splitting a piece of Malacca cane through the joints, the whole length required, avoiding the root of the shoot, or bud, represented in the drawing of a piece of cane below. There is only one bud or shoot at each joint, and as they occur alternately on opposite sides, they can be easil} avoided in splitting. Tips may be made in the same manner the quarters being drawn through the V tool, and glued and finished as already described. Tips for Salmon-rods made in this way are unequalled. The only alleged objection to rent and glued tips is, that they require care in keeping them from getting wet. J have fished with them for more than ten years, and only on one occasion, when I persisted in fishing all day in a rain, have I found them defective in this particular, and then only because the varnish had worn off. This was before I resorted to oiling my rods, and when I did not have the wrappings so 452 AiAIERICAN ANGLER'S liOOK. close together. If joined witli the best glue, and well oiled before applying tlie varnish, such an accident would seldom or never occur. Besides, there is no necessity for an angler getting his rod wet at all. A good tip may be made by gluing two pieces of cane together after cutting away the soft inner part, though they ni'o not as apt to bend equally as a quarter-section tip does. Glue. — Irish glue has a reputation with some persons. I have generally used the white American article known as " bone glue ;" but from some experiments lately made with "Hilton's glue and cement," which is said to be waterproof, I am convinced of its superiority over anything else for a rod- maker's purposes. In making fly -rods for some of my friends, I have lately adopted a plan by which the same rod may be used for either light or heavy fishing. This improvement consists in having the butt in two pieces; the upper piece being about three feet long, has a ferule on the lower end, into which the handle — if I may so call the lower part of the butt — is fitted. There are two handles, one of a foot or fifteen inches, and the other two feet long. In wading the stream it is intended that a tip of the ordinary length, that is, as long as the middle joint, and the short handle shall be used. In fishing from a boat where the run of Trout is large, the rod is rigged with a stouter tip, but nine inches shorter, and the long handle. Thus taking from the rod at the small end or tip, and adding as much at the butt. If the rod is to be lengthened, the longer tip and long butt are both used. To MAKE Ferules. — The materials and implements used in making ferules for fishing-rods are, sheet- brass or German silver, a pair of shears to (jut it, mandrels to round the ferules on, a knife file, annealed (or, as it is sometimes called solder- ing) wire, a small smooth-faced hammer, a light wooden 11 0 D - M A K I N G . 453 mallet, a pair of pliers, a blowpipe, a lump of borax, a strip of tliin silver solder, and a lump of charcoal — most of these articles can be had at hardware-stores. The silver solder may be found at the stores where watchmakers' and jewellers' materials are sold. The mandrel is a cylindrical piece of cast steel, and should be the size that you want the inside of the ferule. To take the width of a piece of brass required for a ferule, wrap a piece of stiff paper around the mandrel so as to lap, and pass a knife along it lengthwise as straight as you can, which cuts the paper the exact size. This is moistened and laid on the sheet-brass for a pattern, and the brass cu-^o the size of the paper with a pair of shears. The brass is^j|j|n bent over the mandrel by the proper use of a wooden i^liret and the vice, and the edges brought nearly together (not to overlap), and the knife-file passed between to take off any inequality in the edges, and to insure their coming in contact the whole length of the ferule, when bound by the annealed wire. The vice should be used in bringing the edges in contact, and the ferule bound in the middle and at both ends with wire, while it is held in the jaws of the vice ; to do this effectually, the ends of the wire after lapping the ferule are t^Visted Avith the pliers. To make the flux for your solder, wet a piece of borax and rub it on a piece of rough slate, grinding off the surface of the borax until the mixed water and borax assumes the appearance and consistency of cream. Apply it to the seam inside of the ferule with a small camel's-hair brush, and then cut a thin strip of silver solder (the thirty-second part of an inch is wide enough), and of the required length, straighten it, smear it with the diluted borax, lay it on the seam inside of the ferule, and place the ferule with the seam downwards in a groove, made just large enough in a piece of charcoal to 454 AMERICAN ANGLER'S J^ 0 0 K. coQtain it. Now with a good flame of gas, or a spirit-lamp used for sucli purposes, direct a jet of flame on the ferule with the blowpipe until the solder flows over the searn. There is some knack in using the blowpipe. Hard pulls which exhaust the breath are not as efficacious in producing the requisite heat as a more gentle but continuous blowing. Persons accustomed to the use of this implement acquire a way of inhaling through the nostrils and blowing with the mouth at the same time, making thereby a very long exhala- tion; it is done by distending the cheeks and working the jaws somew^hat in imitation of the blowing of a blacksmith's bellows. Those who make ferules in quantities, of course braze them in a charcoal furnace ; but as the limited space of an amateur's workshop does not often allow of such an appliance, it is well to learn the use of the blowpipe, which, in fact, is indispensable in delicate soldering. In using gas it is better to remove the ordinary burner and direct the full stream on the ferule, or procure what is termed an Argand or a jewel- ler's burner. The common gutta-percha tube is convenient in bringing the gas to any convenient place on a work-bench or table. The ferule should have no grease on it to interfere with the soldering. It is well also before binding with it wire to dip the brush in the borax while it is thin, and pass it between the edges. The ferule should be allowed to cool of itself, as dipping it in water impairs the toughness of the brass. When the wire bindings are taken off* the inner surface should be scaled with a rat-tail file, and any surplus st^lder along the seam removed. Brass is always annealed by heating it to a red and allowing it to cool gradually, and of course the ferule is soft and not fit for use unless it is hardened. This is done by hammering lightly, as it is rounded and stretched over the a 0 D - M A K r N G . 455 mandrel. If you want the ferule perfectly straight, round, and true, the mandrel should fit it exactly when it is stretched. The mandrel should taper a little for a half inch or so at the end, to enable yon to enter it in the end of the ferule. In doing so, drive it in tightly as far as it will go, without straining the ferule, and laying it on an anvil or smooth surface or iron, tap it lightly with your hammer, turning the mandrel the mean while with the left hand. Drive the man- drel in as the ferule is stretched, hammering evenly and turning slowly, as the ferule passes over the smaller part of the mandrel, and confine the hammering to that part. The ferule as it is driven on assumes the size, the roundness, and the straightness of the mandrel, and is hardened by the hammering. When the ferule has thus been stretched, hardened, and straightened, the mandrel with the ferule fitting tightly on it is put into the lathe and turned down smooth, and to the required thickness, with an ordinary graver ; or it may be finished with a fine flat file and emery paper of different degrees of fineness, if you have no such piece of machinery, though it is a laborious operation. A lathe is almost indis- pensable in making a male ferule, that is, a ferule intended to fit into another. When I first began to make ferules, I cleansed and made the inside smooth, by wrapping a. strip of sand-paper spirallv on a round stick, so as to fit the ferule just tight enough to turn in it, and afterwards gave a smoother finish to it by wrapping a piece of emery paper on the same stick. The same contrivance can be used by putting the stick in a lathe and holding the ferule on it with a rag saturated with water to prevent the brass from heating as the stick revolves. A male ferule is made in the same manner as just -1:56 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK described, and of course on a smaller mandrel, or on the same mandrel turned smaller for two inches or so at one end. As there is no strain on a male ferule it is not necessary to harden it. A professional rod-maker would no doubt be somewhat amused at these directions, and consider this a roundabout way of making a rod ; but as I before said, I only wish to throw out a few hints for the benefit of anglers Avho wish to amuse themselves in-doors, or instruct those who seldom have the opportunit}^ of purchasing rods of tackle-stores. For fear I may leave the reader in some doubt as to the material I have recommended for quarter-sectioned tips, on a preceding page, I would here say, that by "Malacca cane," I refer to those long East India tishing-rods, which are marked with irregular tracings ; charred with a hot iron or some strong acid. They are easily distinguished from our native cane-rods, or the bamboo used by professional rod-maker;-. CHAPTER XVIIl. FISH-BREEDING. Causes of the decrease of Salmon and Trout. — Remarks on iish-ponds and the manner of stocking them. Artificial Fish-Breeding — with illustrations, showing the manner of expressing the ova and milt, the arrangement of hatching-troughs, and the growth of the fish ; from " A Complete Treatise on Artificial Fish- Breeding," by W. H. Fry, Esq., with some remarks of the author of this work. The Aquarium — its appropriate size and form, and manner of stocking it with fish and introducing suitable aquatic plants. Remarks on Fish-Ponds, and the manner of produc- ing AND REARING FiSH IN A NATURAL WAY. — All ''true- hearted anglers," (we thank Dr. Bethune for the word), who have witnessed the ruthless and indiscriminate destruction of game-fish, will take an interest in the plans proposed and the means now happily adopted for their increase. Manj^ a fly-fisher who travels a long way to enjoy his favorite sport, is shocked at witnessing the wilful extermination of Salmon and Trout. The former by spearing, netting, and erecting high dams without providing for their free passage up and down — the latter by snaring them on their spawning-beds, catching them in seines and eel-weirs, and drawing off mill- ponds. On Trout-streams there are still other agencies at work. The coal-mine poisoning the brook with sulphur ; the saw-mil) filling it with slabs and saw-dust ; the factory with (459) 460 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK its dyestuff ; and the tannery fouling che clear stream, covering the bottom of the pools and the spawn-beds with its leached bark, and killing the fish by hundreds with the noxious dis- charge of its lime- vat. Any law against such vandalism in the United States is seldom or but feebly enforced. We are also disgusted occasionally by hearing persons, who pretend to be sportsmen, boast of the number of Trout they have taken by unfair means. I was once present when a person of this kind, who had just returned from an excur- sion to the head waters of the Croton for woodcock, told how he had snared a hundred Trout, each a foot long, on their spawning-bed. To use his own vernacular, he would have "punched a fellow's head," who would trap a partridge or kill her on her nest. Which of the two is the more dastardly act ? When fishing Jessup Kiver in Hamilton County, New York, some years ago, the guide pointed out a place at the mouth of a little brook, where a snob deer-hunter from Troy, the September previous, Avith a bass-rod and a red hackle, lifted out sixty pounds of Trout, which had collected there to spawn. If time-serving legislators have not 'the independence to pass laws for a more thorough protection of Trout, or officials do not enforce those that are passed, the fly-fisher at no distant day will have to go hundreds of miles farther than he does now, to find them. But unless I should appear, to be travelling out of my way in condemnation of such means and such persons as I have alluded to, I will proceed Avith my observations on fish-breeding ; giving first a few suggestive remarks on fish-ponds, the manner of stocking them, and of producing the young fish in the natural way ; and then describe at length the mode which has been adopted, within a few years past, of hatching the eggs and rearing the young iish to a certain age by artificial means. In many parts of Europe, and in China. Avhere fresh sea- FTSn-BREBDING. 461 fish are not to be liad, fish-ponds are common, and fish culture is ahuost a matter of as much concern as agriculture. Great care is even bestowed on breeding and rearing the coarser kinds, including those that belong to the Carp family. Such fish are considered almost worthless here, where there are so many firm-fieshed, well-fla,rVored species of the Perch family; and our sluggish waters, Avhere Trout would not thrive, could be as easily stocked with these, and with the ugly though excellent Catfish, as with the soft insipid Cyprinoids. Whatever be the condition of the water one may con- trol, sluggish or rapid, shaded or exposed ; whether a brook, or a pond of an acre or two, fed even by a diminutive stream, he may breed fish whose natural habitat is such water, or make them in a great degree capable of living and thriving in their circumscribed home. From my boyhood I have known ponds stocked with large fish which were not native to such waters. One instance was the transfer of what was called the "James River Chub.'' the magnificent fresh-water Bass, Grystes salmoides. They were taken from the James River and placed in mill-ponds fed by small brooks a hundred miles north of Richmond, and in a few years by natural propagation and increase became numerous, man}^ of them attaining a weight of five pounds. The White Perch, Labrax palUdus, is prolific in ponds and canals. It is even said the Rockfish will live entirely in fresh water, though I doubt whether it Avill grow to a large size if debarred from returninsf to salt water in winter. The Shad, which Mr. Pell produced by artificial propagation, must certainly have degenerated if confined to his ponds, and, I think, would most likely cease to reproduce after several generations ; for they are anadromous fish, and their annual visit to the sea is requisite to their perfection. I have seen Trout breed and grow rapidly in a pond cover- 462 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK ing not more than an eiglitli of an acre, near Philadelpbia. It was in a little dell shaded by oaks, maples, and wild poplars. Several springs bubbled out at the head of the ravine, and a small breastwork of stone and sod, thirty yards below, dammed the water, which flowed over the sluice, in a stream which could have been discharged through a two-inch auger-hole. The Trout, thirty in number, and varying in size from six to ten inches, were brought from Chester Count}?- and placed in the pond in the month of February. The following autumn they spawned, and in the month of April they were caught in a fine net, in the little pool beneath the overflow of the dam, and in the rill in the meadow below, two inches long. The next season they were also found in the brook into which the rill flowed, and in n mill-pond below, where they had grown to seven inches. At the time of stocking his pond the owner did not ascertain how many of each sex he put in. It is a matter of conjecture how many of them spawned, or how much of the spawn was consumed by the fish ; how much of it came to maturity, or how many of the young fish were devoured after being hatched out. It is highly probable that but few of those which remained in the pond escaped the voracity of the adults; and those that went over the dam through the sluice (which was not more than nine inches wide, and three-fourths of an inch in depth), must have made their escape from instinctive fear of the larger fish. Some of the fish which were very small when placed in the pond, in two or three summers grew to the length of fourteen inches, and were very stout, weighing perhaps a pound and a quarter ; they were fed occasionally with chopped raw meat, worms, and grasshoppers. In a few years the place fell into other hands, and the fish were caught out of the pond by poachers, or persons of less appreciation than the proprietor who sto'iked it. PrSH- BREEDING. 4:63 I have given these few facts to show that a pond is easily stocked with Trout, and the streams below as a matter of course. With a little care, and providing ponds below (as would have been the case had the original owner just alluded to remained in possession), the number and size might have been increased to the utmost capacity of the water. If fish are thus easily bred and reared with so little atten- tion, by natural propagation, the ova being unprotected on the spawning- beds, and the young subjected to the ravages of the large fish, how must it be when all causes which would prevent the hatching of impregnated spawn are removed, arid the young, by a proper arrangement, kept from being devoured ? In stocking ponds, an observing person will remember to put in such fish as the water is suitable or natural to. A pond for Trout should have as great a proportion of spring or cool brook water as is possible, though it is not essential in ail cases that the supply vshould be large. If the stream which supplies it enters in a rough little cascade, it is better, as the water is thereby mixed with air. If there be several ponds on the same brook, they should be supplied in the same man- ner, if the fall in the stream is sufiicient. Each should have a shallow shelving margin, as well as a deep side ; plenty of shade, trees, and shrubbery, to encourage the presence of flies and insects ; also aquatic plants, rock, stones, and peb- bles through the pond and on the margin. Shallow water strewed with pebbles is considered as necessary as aerated water in the natural propagation of Trout, though few of these conditions were found in the pond just described, for it was almost of uniform depth, and the back-water covered the springs that supplied it. In breeding the different species of the Perch family, aerated water, or even that of a low temperature, is not so 464 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. necessary, if there is a reasonable quantity of aquatic vege- tation in it. The mere damming of a stream, and increasing the body of water, promotes a larger growth of those fish which are native to the brook. In the instance first men- tioned, of stocking ponds with the large fresh-water Bass, a freshet swept the dam away, when the fish escaped and sought the larger water of the rivers below, none, even of the small ones remaining to reproduce when the dam was renewed. Trout taken from a small brook where they never grow to a length exceeding eight inches, have been known to attain a weight of three or four pounds when transferred to a large pond or lake. "Ephemera," in his "Book of the Salmon," objects with much reason to the term " artificial propagation ;" for after all, the expression of the spawn by manipulation, and protection of the young fry, are only accessories, and nature is only directed, followed, or assisted, as the judgment of the fish-breeder may dictate. Artificial Fish-Breeding. — With the object of showing how easily fish can be produced by artificial culture, I have obtained from Mr. W. H. Fry, the editor, and Messrs. Apple- ton & Co., publishers, of New York, their consent to make extracts and copy some of the explanatory cuts from a work to which I have already alluded, called "A Complete Treatise on Artificial Fish-breeding." In treating this subject, therefore, it will be necessary to repeat, in substance or verba- tim, much of the matter of a preceding chapter. Before read- ing Mr. Fry's book, I had met with several brief articles on the subject, one of which I clipped from a daily paper; it reads as follows : — " Pisciculture in New York. — At a meeting of the Farmers' FISH-BREEDING. 465 Club of New York, held recently; the following proceedings took place, as we learn from the Times of that city : "The secretary, Henry Meigs, Esq., read a letter from John Gr. Adams, M. D., now in Paris, on the subject of Pisciculture (breeding fish), Avhich was the subject for discussion by the club for the day. Mr. Adams explains at length the mode of breeding fish, now in successful operation in the College of France. The eggs selected for the purpose of breeding are, he says, those of the Trout and Salmon. They are brought in boxes. The boxes may be tight, and, if kept at a moderate temperature, may be transported an immense dis- tance. At the college the eggs are placed in oblong earthen troughs, in single layers, upon trays of willow-work, so that the water may circulate freely around them ; for the arrange- ment of running water, these troughs are arranged in pyra- mids, and a small stream of water is continually flowing into them. The eggs, after forty days, are hatched, and the young- fish are seen running about in one part of the trough, while in another part of it the eggs are in a different stage of incu- bation. The pouring of the water seems to have no'delete- rious effect on the process. " The operation, it is believed, will be highly successful. " Mr. E. L. Pell, of Pelham, discussed the subject of Pisci- culture to a great extent. Among other matters, he informed the club that he had taken the spawn from the female Shad and impregnated it with the male Shad, and that the eggs produced Shad in great numbers. He has numerous fish- ponds, in which there are forty-five varieties of foreign and native fish, thoiisands of which came at the ringing of a hell to be fed out of his hand. Sturgeons nine feet long may be seen in his ponds. "Mr. Pell has made arrangements to import the ova of the Tench, Barbel, and Carp from Europe, for his ponds, and like- 30 466 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. wise the spawn of the famous Turbot and Sole ; and is about to apply to the legislature for a law to make it incumbent upon all persons in the state who gain a livelihood by the capture of fish, to plant impregnated spawn upon their fish- ing-grounds. *' Eemarks on the same subject were made by other mem- bers of the club, all of whom were- sanguine of its success, and confident that it would be of service to the community." I have since read other articles showing the feasibility of producing and breeding fish artificially, and have heard of experimenters being entirely successful in it. Amongst the latter are some enterprising fish-breeders of Hartford, Con- necticut, one of Avhom has visited France for the purpose of witnessing the modus operandi and obtaining information on the subject. There are also several instances of complete success said to have occurred on Long Island and in Ohio. Although, in the following pages, I quote chiefl}^ from M. Coste's directions, found in Mr. Fry's book, Messrs. Gehin and Kemy, fishermen of the Commune of Bresse, of the department of Vosges, were the discoverers, and the first who turned their attention, in a practical way, to the production of fish by artificial propagation. These two humble French- men afterwards brought the subject to the notice of scientific men, who procured for it the patronage of the French govern- ment ; and notwithstanding M. Coste claims for Jacobi, a German, the discovery of fecundating the ova by artificial means, as early as 1758, it appears that Gehin and Remy were not aware of any previous experiments having been made. According to M. Coste's account, Jacobi, like these two fish- ermen, founded his theory on a simple fact which he disco- vered by careful observation ; it is that the spawn of the female is not impregnated by the seminal fluid of the male until after it is (yected. M. Coste further says that this FISH-BREEDING. 467 naturalist communicated tlie result of his experiments to Count cle Goldstein, Grand Chancellor of His Palatinate High- ness for the Duchies of Burges aud Juliers, in an essay in the German language, which Count de Goldstein afterwards translated into Latin for M. de Fourcray. It appears strange that so important a discovery should not have been made public, and followed up at the time by establishing fish- breeding as a trade or science. Tt is natural to suppose that Gehin and Remy's discovery would soon become generally known to those who were inte- rested in restocking impoverished and exhausted waters. So we find Messrs. Young, ShaAV, and other British naturalists not only in possession of this knowledge, but successfully experimenting on it. The following extracts and wood-cuts from Mr. Fry's work, I am satisfied will convince any intelligent reader that thou- sands of fish may be produced and raised with as little or perhaps less d*^lficulty than a tenth of the same number of poultry. I Avould, however, advise those who wish to engage in the experiment, to procure Mr. Fry's work, in which he has translated from the French, " Facts furnished the Academy of Sciences at Paris, by M. Gehin ;" " M. Coste's Practical Instructions in Fish-raising ;" and " M. Milne Edwards' Report on Artificial Fish-culture, and stocking barren or impover- ished rivers with fish artificially hatched." His book also embraces " Lessons on the Natural History and Habits of the Salmon," by '* Ephemera," the gist of which will be found in the previous part of this book, beginning at page 214. The Trout being one of the most interesting and easily procured fish, I will first refer to the method of breeding it. This fish generally spawns from the latter part of September tr> the first or middle of November. The preparatory step is to procure hatching-troughs. 4:68 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK These, as the reader will observe from the cut, are simply a succession of troughs placed one above the other. The water flowing from the stop-cock B, in any desired quantity, into the topmost trough, falls in little cascades into those below, which aerates it sufficiently during the term of hatch- ing. By means of these troughs the fecundated eggs may be watched with care, and examined without the danger of dis- turbing the process of incubation, as would be the case if the spawn was placed in hatching-boxes, according to M. Gehin's plan, and deposited in the stream, and removed from it occasionally to examine them. The troughs may be placed in any spare room where it is convenient to lead a small supply-pipe, and place another for the discharge of the water. They should be supplied to the depth of four inches with clean gravel and a little coarse sand. Each trough should be raised somewhat at the end where it receives the overflow from the trough above, so as to cause a slight current. M. Coste recommends that the eggs be spread on closely-woven hurdles of willow, and sunk an inch or two below the surface ; his reasons for doing so are given in a subsequent extract. If the bottoms of the troughs are covered with gravel, the water — which may be supplied through a quarter-inch pipe — should flow through them for a few days, so as to remove any impurit}^ amongst the peb- bles. FISH-BREEDING 469 Trout may be procured by observing them in the brook when preparing to spawn ; they should be taken in nets, and removed as carefully as possible. A less number of males than females are required, as the milt of one male will fecun- date the eggs from three or four females. Care should be taken in selecting fish that are well advanced. The mere pressure in handling will cause the roe or milt to start, if sufficiently mature ; if it is not, the fish may be placed in a tank conveniently near, supplied with running water, and examined daily until the proper time arrives. The vessel for the reception of the spawn may be of earth- enware, wood, glass, or tinned iron, and should have a flat bottom as wide as its top. After having washed it clean, it should have one or two pints of clear water poured in. The next process is To Express the Spawn. — The female fish is taken by the head and throat with the left hand, while the right hand, its AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK thumb upon tlie belly and its fingers on the back and sides, is passed liked a ring lightly backwards and forwards, to bring the eggs near the opening through which they are passed. The male fish is then to be opei-ated on in the same way, and the milt expressed ; the manipulation causing the expul- sion of only so much of the ova and milt as may be perfectly mature. For, as will be seen by the observations quoted from '' The Book of the Salmon," in a previous chapter, all the roe and milt does not ripen at once, but that the time of laying the eggs and fecundating them in a natural way, extends over a period of ten days or more. Hence the necessity of a tank supplied with running water, as a tempo- rary residence for the breeding fish, that the ova and milt may be expressed as it matures. The appearance of all the eggs, whether fecundated or not, is much changed in the course of a few minutes. They are at first more opaque than they were when discharged from the fish, and then assume their transparency. M. Coste says it is only after some days that the barren eggs can be distin- guished from the fecundated, and that they deteriorate rapidly, become more and more opaque, turn white or else preserve their transparency, but show no interior change. Taking the spawn and milt from the fish is a matter of so much, interest, that I quote his remarks at length. "If the eggs are hard, and already free from the membrane of the ovaries, the slightest pressure suflices to expel them, and under this pressure the abdomen is emptied without injury to the female operated upon ; for the following year she will become as fruitful as if she had spawned naturally, as we have often had occasion to observe at the establishment at Huningen. "If, on the contrary, it appears that a greater degree of pressure is necessary to bring out the eggs, we may be sure FISH-BREEDING. 471 they are still enclosed in the tissue of the organ whicli produces them, and that the operation is premature. In this case it should not be persisted in, but the female should be put back into the pond, and allowed to remain there till her full time is accomplished, care being taken that this will soon occur ; for if a female fish in this condition is kept captive for any length of time in a circumscribed place, her eggs will spoil. " If the females are too large to be held and emptied of their eggs b}^ a single operator, another can aid him in hold- ing them over the receptacle, either by passing his fingers in their gills, or by securing them with a cord, and if the convulsive struggles are very violent, it may be necessary for a third person to hold the tail. The operator, then, with his thumbs upon the thorax and his fingers upon the animal's sides, presses from top to bottom the enormous mass of eggs which distend the coats of the belly. The vertical position in which the fish is held usually suffices to press out the eggs nearest the opening, and the pressure of the hands, repeated several times, will successively bring all the rest. " The easy expulsion of the eggs proves their maturity, for it shoAvs they are detached from the ovaries ; but it does not prove absolutely their capability of being fecundated. For there are some cases, the causes of which we have not ascer- tained, where the female being in a stream and at liberty, and having gone her full time, and her eggs being ready for delivery, yet she does not or cannot free herself from them, and being thus retained past their time they lose their reproductive faculty. " Experienced persons easily recognise eggs of this sort hy two evident characteristics : one is the flowing out with them of a foreign matter, of which there is no trace in their normal state, which gives a muddy hue to the water when the eggs 472 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. begin to fall iiito it ; another is, the white color of these eggs when they come in contact with the water. When neither of these appearances is observed, we may be almost sure the operation will be successful ; for the eggs will then be in a good condition. But in all cases we must guard against allowing too great a quantity of eggs to fall into one vessel, for if those on the bottom are covered over by too many others, they will not perhaps come in contact with the milt, which should reach every part of them. It will be well, if the females are found to be very productive, to empty the spawn into a number of vessels. The results will then be more satisfactory. '' As soon as the process of delivering the female of the spawn is complete, if it appears that the operation of express- ing it has brought along with it any part of the mucus which is secreted by her intestines, the water should be immediately changed, so as to free it from every impurity, care being always taken that the eggs are not allowed to become dry. This done, a male fish should be taken, and his milt expressed in the same manner as the female's eggs. If the milt has arrived at a state of maturity it will flow abundantl}^, white and thick like cream, and as soon as enough has been taken from him to give the water in the vessel the appearance of whey, it is saturated sufficiently. But in order that the fecundating particles may be spread everywhere and uni- formly, the precaution should be taken of agitating the mixture, and of softly turning over the eggs with the hand, or what is better, with the fine long hairs of a brush, so that no part of their surface shall escape contact with the fecun- dating element. " After two or three minutes' rest the fecundation is accom- plished, and then the eggs, with the water surrounding them, should be emptied into the hatching basins; or if these FISH-BREEDING. 473 basins are some distance removed from wliere the operation has been performed, the water must be renewed before they arrive at their destination, provided the distance be not too great, for then other means must be taken. " While the mixture is agitated to help the absorption of the semen, if the eggs are of that species which are found to be naturally cemented together "by a gelatinous matter, as, for example, are those of the Perch, great care must be taken not to pull them apart. This agglutination is a natural condition of their development, of which it would be injurious to deprive them. "There is still another mode of treating the mixture of fecundating particles with the water, which serves as a vehicle, and of aiding their absorption by the eggs to be fecundated; it is to place in the vessel a cullender well riddled, or better still, a fine basket. Into this, while in the water, the eggs are expressed, and then the milt. The cullender should then be moved about, up and down, and from side to side, care being taken to keep it always in the water. This movement has a double result : it thoroughly mixes the fecundating liquor and brings it in contact with every part of the eggs, and the experiment will be successful if, after the agitation of the cullender, it is allowed to remain at the bottom of the vessel quietly for two or three minutes. '' A third process is to express into the vessel the milt, and Qot cause the eggs to fall into the water till it has been thus first charged with fecundating particles. The medium being thus prepared beforehand, the eggs reach it in a condition of peculiar aptitude for absorption, which they possess in the highest degree the first moment of their immersion. This mode then seems to offer the greater chance of success. I do not mean to assert that eggs laid in the water some time before the milt is brought in contact with them, lose the 474 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK power of receiving its influence. For, many times, on the Rhine, I have had occasion to observe that those of the Sal- mon and Trout that had been expressed into the water nearl}^ two hours before a male could be caught, still pre- served their aptitude for fecundation. But still it is an unfavorable condition, in which, if possible, they should not be placed ; above all, when the eggs of other species are treated, which have not, like the Salmon and Trout, a pro- tecting and resisting envelope, but which are more sensitive to the influence of the exterior world. " Another mode of treating artificial fecundation, and one more nearly resembling nature's processes, is to spread the eggs on a sieve^ fitted in a channel or trough of wood or stone, through which runs a current from a water-pipe, under th- spout of which the end of the trough is placed, and then to pom at this point the spermatized water, and leave to the running current the care of carrying the vivifying particles to the eggs ; but to operate in this way requires an apparatus not always at hand, and perhaps onl}^ to be found in an establishment designed for the business. For general use and ready application I recommend, therefore, the process de- scribed at the commencement of this chapter. " The milt of a single male will suffice to fecundate the eggs of a large number of females, provided he is fed while in the pond or tank, and that care is taken not to take him from the brook and shut him up there until his milt is fully matured. Of this fact the author of the memoir published by the Count de Goldstein was aware, and I have often had occasion to verify it while on board the boat of the fisherman Glasser, at Bale, where the male Salmon and Trout emptied one day to fecundate the eggs destined for the government establishment at liuningen, are found gorged the next, and so on every day, for the five or six during which their organs FISH-BREEDING. 475 secrete semen. It is not necessary, therefore, in experiment- ing on a large scale, to have numerous males, but only that they should be in the condition I have indicated." M. Coste does not entertain a doubt that breeds may be crossed. Any two species of the Genus Salmo would no doubt reproduce, by pressing the eggs from the one and fecundating them with the milt of the other. This may even be the case with fish of different families, as the Percli and Pike, or either of these with the Trout ; but the farther we depart from the laws of nature in producing mongrels, the more imperfect, the progeny must be, and in either of the cases above mentioned, it is likely the produce would be mules incapable of reproduction. Treatment of the Fecundated Eggs. — The time of incu- bation varies according to the temperature of the water and room in which the troughs are placed. I would recommend that the latter be sixty-five or seventy degrees above zero.. M. Coste in his experiments, found that the eggs were hatched in from thirty to sixty days, which is a much shorter time than if the ova was deposited in a natural way by the fish in the brook. The eggs should be distributed evenly over the gravel in the hatching-troughs, more thickly at the head where the water enters. The unfecundated eggs should be taken out, and any sediment forming on them removed with a soft brush. M. Coste give the following interesting account of the appearance and growth of the young in the egg, and its escape from the shell. " In eggs vivified with the fecundating molecules, one may see after a time, which varies according to the species and to the temperature of the water, on the interior globe a line, 476 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK which covers about a quarter of its circumference. This line, which seems whitish when the eggs are on a dark ground, or opaque when they are held up to the light (in the manner in which oiir farmers examine hens' eggs), is the origin of the foetus, and represents the spinal column. As this line in- creases in size, one end of it grows out to a point to form a tail, and the other extends in the form of a spatula. This last corresponds to the embryo's head, and of this there is soon no doubt, for the eyes now appear, two points of a blackish brown, easily distinguished, and forming nearly two-thirds of the whole mass of the head. As each day develops its form, the young fish may be seen under the shell or membrane, stretching itself, and drawing itself up, and wagging its tail. When hatching-time comes, these movements, the probable object of which is to weaken or tear the shell, become more active. With Salmon and Trout there is another sign of the approach of hatching besides the quick movements of the young. The outer envelope of the egg becomes a little opaque, and as it were furfuraceous. With other species with which I have made observations, this sign does not appear so plainly. At last a little opening is made in the shell, and that part of the embryo next the opening comes through it. Ordinarily the tail or the head first appears, but sometimes it is the umbilical bladder. " Whatever part may be first disengaged, more than half the body still remains imprisoned, and the efforts of the young fish are unceasing, till after several hours it frees itself from the shell. This membrane, which has protected its development, hut has not served to form any part of its organs, being noAV cast off, either is decomposed where it lies, or is carried off' by the current. '' Certain kinds, like the Pike and the Ferrat, begin imme- diately to range about in the waters where they have just FISH-BREEDING. 47' been hatched ; others on the contrary, such as the Salmon and the Trout, weighed down by their enormous umbilical bladder (figure 2), can only move with great difficulty, and remain lying on one side, or even on the bladder itself. Some few attempt to move from one place to another, but soon give up the effort. " The time for hatching is not the same with all species. Some, like the Pike, hatch at the end of eight, ten, or fifteen days ; others, like the Salmon, take from a month and a half to two months. " Besides development is more or less hastened, according as the temperature of the water in which they are laid is more or less elevated. Pike's eggs placed in a vase, the water of which without being renewed was exposed to the sun's rays, hatched in nine days ; while others of the same spawning, placed in the shade in water constantly renewed took eighteen to twenty days to hatch. It required also twenty days to hatch eggs of the ombre, which, more favorably placed, hatched in twelve to fifteen days. Still greater variations of time appear in the incubation of other species of the Salmon family. In running water of a warm temperature, the eggs of Salmon and Trout will hatch in about thirty days, while the same eggs in a cold stream will take seven or eight weeks. The term of incubation may even extend to a hun- dred and ten days, as was proved by the experiments made in 478 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. Scotland, by Mr. Shaw, to which I have referred in the intro- duction. " During their change the eggs should not be left to them- selves ; they require, on the contrary, a certain watchfulness and frequent visits, in feet, such care as can be easily bestowed by the aid of the hatching apparatus which I use. "Whether the artificial streamlets, which I propose, be used, or in preference to them any other mode, one precaution should always be taken ; the eggs should never be heaped upon one another. Their accumulation prevents a proper surveillance of all of them, and besides may retard or even prevent their development. Another and more serious incon- venience often results : if one of the eggs becomes spoiled and covered with byssus, this byssus spreads to the adjoining eggs, and in a few days reaches all that are contiguous and destroys them. The only mode to diminish the extent or arrest the progress of this evil, when the eggs have not been heaped up, is to remove, at once, from the hatching-place all that show the least trace of alteration. If in place of sacrific- ing, an attempt is made to save them by freeing them, with the aid of a brush, from the vegetable parasites covering them, not only will it be a useless trouble, since the tainted eggs are already struck with death, but the evil wdll be aggravated by spreading over the healthy eggs the particles of destructive byssus, by the very operation of cleansing." Fig. 2, in the preceding cut, shows the appearance of a young Salmon on emerging from the egg ; 3 its size at two, and 4 when three months old. The umbilical bladder sustains it for about four weeks, during which time it refuses other nourish- ment ; at the end of this time, the nutritive matter of the bladder is consumed or rather absorbed, when the young fish instinctively begins to seek its food. Previous to this, any attempt to feed them is not only unnecessary but hurtful, as FISH-BREEDING. 4:79 any anjniai matter thrown in only serves to make the water impure, and of course affects the health of the fish. Feeding-Teoughs. — The depth of water in the feeding- troughs need not be more than four inches, and the area pro- portioned to the number of fish. M. Coste says he was ena- bled to feed and bring up in a space of twenty- one inches long, six wide, and three deep, as many as two thousand young Salmon at once. This seems improbable ; the space is certainly more circumscribed than necessary. A trough of eight feet long and four feet wide would no doubt be suffi- cient for that number of young Trout during the first three months, at which time they will likely be from two to two and a half inches in length. They could then be transferred to ponds, the size of which may be about eight yards wide and twenty-four long, which would cover nearly the twenty- fourth part of an acre. According to such calculation, it will be seen that a single acre divided into twenty-four ponds, would sustain forty-eight thousand Trout during the first year. Food foe Young Teout. — After trying several kinds of food for young fish, I have found none so readily received or divisible into small particles as fish-roe. On crumbling it, after being fried or boiled, into an aquarium, the smaller fish, especially those of a predatory species, seize a single egg greedily before it falls to the bottom, and the Goldfish hunt for it industriously amongst the gravel, and leave none to affect the purity of the water. I would therefore recommend it as preferable to any other, where it can be had ; if not, boiled meat of any kind (as I have also ascertained from experiment), when cold and crumbled in small particles, is the best substitute. It is better to give a less quantity than the young brood can consume, for reasons already ^ated. 480 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK After the fish are removed to larger pouds, there is no doubt that rye, after being thoroughly soaked or steamed, and then rolled in blood — which should be allowed to dry on the grains before they have time to become hard — would be a desir- able article of food to be given with the crumbled fibre of meat. Any substance of which albumen forms a principal con- stituent promotes the growth of fish ; the white of eggs would, therefore, be appropriate food. Trout kept in spring- houses grow to an immense size when fed on nothing else than curds. The liver or heart of a sheep or ox, hung over a pond, will produce the larva of the common fly, which will fall into the pond, and furnish a more natural food than meat. With these hints on feeding, the reader who is not already better informed, cannot fail, by observation and ingenuity, to raise young fish, after placing them in ponds larger than those already suggested. Ponds covering a half-acre and upwards, will afford a large amount of natural food after the first or second year, if judiciously supplied Avith aquatic plants, brush, logs, &c. ; nevertheless, feeding as we have suggested will greatly pro- mote the growth of the fish. It is desirable, for many reasons, to have the ponds well shaded. Smaller species of fish, as Shiners, Eoach, Minnows, &c., may be advantageously intro- duced, but not in ponds where Trout arc intended to breed, as they devour a large proportion of their ova. These small worthless species furnish a considerable proportion of food for large Trout in their natural haunts. In connection with this subject I should not omit to men- tion that there have been numerous instances of stocking streams in England, Scotland, and Ireland, which had become barren or depopulated by improvident fishing and poaching. FISH-BREEDING. 481 Some rivers which Sahiion were known never to enter have been rendered productive. The manner of effecting this has been to transport the parent fish when about to spaAvn, and allow them to spawn in the stream ; or proceed according to the usual mode of artificial propagation ; or to bring the fecundated roe, and place it in the waters intended to be stocked. It has become a matter not of mere experiment, but certain success ; as much so -as a farmer getting his wheat or potatoes from another part of the country, in view of increasing the product and quality of the crop by a change of seed. I should not wonder if fishing clubs in England have resorted to this means of restocking their exhausted waters, and now find good angling in streams that previously afforded but a limited amount of sport. I have before adverted to the fact that impregnated spawn is an article of commerce in China, and that in some parts of G-ermany, Carp-ponds drawn off for the purpose of cultiva- ting the soil are not restocked when the water is let on again, the fecundated ova remaining in the soil two or three years, replenishing the pond. M. Coste advises that, for transportation, the impregnated eggs be packed in wet sand, alternate layers of each ; and thinks the gravel used in M. Gehin's directions would crush a portion of the eggs if the box should be jostled. A singular evidence of the number of Trout that will thrive in a small space can be witnessed at Hellertown, a few miles south of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Owen Desb, who keeps a hotel there, has a trough in his yard which is twenty- four feet long by two feet wide, with a depth of water not over eighteen inches. In this limited space he generally has from six to eight hundred Trout, from nine to twelve inches long. He has even kept twelve hundred in the same trough, 31 482 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK and all in a healthy condition, where they grow rapidly and get fat on a small quantity of curds fed to them once a day : these Trout are even preferred to those caught fresh from the Saucon, which flows close by. The trough in question con- tains seventy-two cubic feet of water, and when it has seven hundred and twenty Trout in it, there are just ten fish to a' cubic foot. This useful aquarium was established many years ago by Mr. Desh's fatherr ; Trout seldom die in it. The spring which supplies it rises in the garden, a few yards above, and would flow through a hole an inch and a half square. The fish are bred naturally by a farmer in the neigh- borhood, and brought in large tubs. There have been in- stances of their breeding in the trough. FISH-BREEDING. 483 THE AQUAEIUM. Five or six years since quite a sensation was produced by this novel sort of fish-cage. It is simply a tank with glass sides, and a wooden, stone, or cast-iron bottom. It is supplied to the depth of three or four inches with gravel or sand, and aquatic plants tastefully introduced in groups. The latter are not intended as an ornament only, but to keep the water pure and the fish healthy by the oxygen which they give off] while the carbonic acid exhaled by the fish promotes the growth of the plants. The most convenient size I have found to be one of thirty inches in length, sixteen wide, and sixteen deep, which will hold nearly thirty gallons of water, and is large enough to sustain sixteen or eighteen fish from three to five inches long. There is no ornament more beautiful than a well-kept Aquarium. It furnishes a fine opportunit}^ for a display of delicate taste in the arrangement of plants, shells, and minia- ture grottos. It is always a source of amusement and won- derment to children, and furnishes an opportunity on a small scale for studying the habits and dispositions of fish. Bar- num's fish-tanks, at his Museum in New York, are well worth the observation and study of anglers and naturalists. Those who would establish one on scientific principles, should procure Mr. Arthur N. Edwards's little book, called ''Life beneath the Waters." Any glass vessel of sufficient capacity will answer for a tank, if the bottom is wide enough to set out plants in it. 484 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK Tlie best sliape is one of four sides. In a round vessel the proportions of tlie fisli are distorted, when seen through the convex sides, as any person has observed in looking at Gold- fish in a glass globe. Wood is an objectionable material for the bottom of an Aquarium, on account of its liability to warp. Soapstone can be used, but cast-iron is the most suitable. No fear need be entertained on account of its liability to contract with cold or expand with heat, as the water in the tank will serve to maintain an uniformity of temperature between the glass sides and iron bottom. For the same reason the frame (the four posts at the corners and the rim around the top of the glass), should also be of iron. The plate glass forming the sides and ends should fit neatly into grooves in the bottom and frame, and should be cemented with some composition which does not contain any ingredient that will affect the health of the fish. The tank should be filled with water and let stand for a few days, to see that it is perfectly water tight before putting the fish into it. If placed at a window with a southern exposure, the growth of the plants is accelerated : though in such situa- tion care should be used to lower the shade of the window, if the sun shines for any great length of time on the tank. Clean Avhite gravel has been found to be the best bottom, as it can be removed whenever it becomes necessary, and returned after washing. The ornamental rock work, such as arches, grottos, &;c., can be arranged according to one's own taste. Plants for the Aquarium. — Suitable aquatic plants can be procured in almost any running water or mill-pond in the vicinity of the city. The ditches into which the water from the Delaware and Schuylkill flow through sluices, and where FISH-BREEDING. 485 it falls and rises with the tide, are filled with them, and pro- duce a great variety. I have tried with satisfactory results many of the plants recommended by Mr. Edwards, some of them merely as ornaments, others to supply oxygen to the water, and those that require no root, and float on the water, to give shade to the fish. I have used the little plant known by the common name of " duck- weed" or " duck-meat" for this latter purpose. The only objection to it, though, is that fish that live on vegetable food, as Carp and Eoach, eat it. This they will also do with many of the plants beneath the water, and are much given to nibbling at them. I have had two or three Goldfish to destroy a large bunch of the Eudora cana- densis in a day or two. This plant is remarkably crisp and mucillaginous, with a pleasant flavor. It is said by persons who profess to know, that it is the " water celery," on which the far-famed canvas-back feeds, in the waters of the Chesa- peake Bay. It is well, therefore, to avoid plants that fish nibble at ; for the gravel is frequently strewed with it, and the small pieces floating about decay and tend to make the water impure. In Mr. Edwards's list of plants, he specifies those intended for ornament and those for aerators ; of the former the com- mon arrowhead {Sagittaria sagittlfolia) and two or three kinds of water-lilies. Of those used for the rockwork where it comes above the surface of the water, the forget-me-not, the sundew, &c. Those used for aerating, and wholly or partly submerged; Valisneria spiralis, hornwort. wjrter starwort, Anacharis canadensis, Udora canadensis, marestail, water molit, &c. * In setting out any of these plants, except the water-lilies, flags, and forget-me-nots, it is not necessary for them to have roots ; these they soon throw out, whether floating or planted 486 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. ill the gravel. Those that belong to the family of lilies should have the roots encased in lumps of stiff clay, and the gravel strewn over them after setting them out. After trying water-lizards, tadpoles, snails, young ter- rapins, &c., I discarded them, and found that Roach, Goldfish, and other Cyprinoids were as good scavengers as the ugly rej^tiles, and that they cleaned the bottom very effectually of any food left by the Sunfish, and others of the Perch family, which, as a general rule, seize their food before it falls to the bottom. To prevent the fish from biting the plants it is necessary to feed them : care should be taken, however, that little of the food remains. A thimble will contain as much chopped meat as will sustain a dozen fish for a week : half of that quantity given twice a week would be better. Flies or live insects thrown on the water are greedily seized by the Sun- fish. One reason for preferring a four-sided vessel with parallel sides is, that by standing in front of it you can see entirely through it, as the fish are moving about. When you look at them at a little distance from one of the corners, and above the level of the aquarium, the refraction creates a pleasing illusion, each fi.sh near the angle appearing like four. DIES PISCATORI^. • Vi: uh.. K.v.' I lit" liauiKsor Niituiv. I.CVl' (lu« MlllsllilU' of tin- MUMdoW, l.i-vo-tln'sl.a,loNv of llio foivst. I.ovf 111.' wiiul iiiuoug tilt' bnmclu's. Ami tilt' ntiii-sliowor. uiul tiit« siu)\\-sti)ri:i, Aiul tlu' nishinj; of jjroat rivt>rs. TluHuijili IJu'ir imlitiiulos aiul |.ii(.> (ici'm. Aiul tl.,' tluimlor in tlu- iiuniiitains. Wlioso iimiiMUMal.lc ocluu-s Klap like cash's in tlioir (.-yrios;— l.isl.ir- L()N(iKKl,HMV. DIES PIS(;AT()RliI^. Many readorH, wh(3ri tlicy coina to "APPENDIX," will Hhat up a book iu\(\ throw it usidr;, for the word sounds to them v(}ry rnueh like " ;),f>p(;nd;i,ge," and is associated in their minds with caudal appendage, or, according to the nomenclature adopted by that (;minent naturalist Mr. Sparrowgrass, in his observations on the dog, " organ of recognition." Such peoph^ tliink, witii Mr, Sparrowgrass's butcher, that a dog's tail or any other appendix is a useless or superfluous thing. I differ with them, for it is not so with the appendix to a good book or to a good saddle of mutton. An author, though, or a politician, must not c. THE NOONDAY KOAST. I HAVE often thought that the fly-fisher whose experience does not include the roast or the bake at noonday, has fallen short of some of the pleasures that can be crowded into a day on the stream, and that the angler who has never enjoyed it, has something to live for. The roast has long been an insti- tution amongst the " Houseless :" some of the members of our little club were initiated into its mysteries in days " lang syne," by Chester Darby or Uncle Peter, on the Beaverkill, since which its cuisine has improved, and many pleasant hours have been passed under the dark sugar-maple or birch cooking, eating, smoking, chatting, sleeping; many a long story has been told, and perhaps occasionally a long how drawn. A provident fisher who leaves his lodging after breakfast, with the proper necessaries for a roast, need not trudge home in the hot sun to get his dinner, or munch his cold snack, or pass his time irksomely or unprofitably during the hours of midda}^, when Trout merely nip at one's flies in the rifts, and utterly disregard them in still pools. But to begin : — When the angler leaves his quarters for a day's fishing, let him take as large a portion of a loaf of bread as will sufiice for the party, from which he will remove so much of the crumb or inside, as will leave a cavity large enough to hold as much butter as he deems necessary ; after the hole is filled with butter, it is covered with a slice of bread. Then, with salt and pepper, a few matches in one of his pockets, 32 (497) 498 A M 1^ a 1 C A N A N V. L I- II ' S II 0 0 K . above high-water mark, and his ^' provender" wrapped in a large napkin or handkerchief, and slung over his shoulder, he is ready for a start. If it is the intention of the party to go up the stream, a bottle of claret or ale may be added. After selecting a place of rendezvous, the pack may be hid close by in the bushes, or in an old stump, or a hollow log, and the party can then go up and fish down stream to the '^ cache," making the distance and time suitable. On arriving at the place for dinner, select a suitable location for building the fire, and place rods and creels to the windward. While some are gathering wood and building the fire, let others col- lect a few clean flat stones for plates, and put them in a posi- tion before the fire to warm properly. If you wish a roast, select the smallest fish, those under nine inches are best ; scour them well in sand, wash them clean, and open them, but allow no water to touch the inside, as the blood and natural juices of the fish should be retained as far as possible ; cut off the heads, score them (not too deeply), and pepper and salt them well inside and out. Cut one or more branches (sweet birch is best), with as many twigs or shoots on them as is required for the number of fish to be roasted, and stick a fish on each twig, either end foremost, running the twig along the upper side of the backbone, and hold them to the fire. By keeping an eye on the inside of your fish, it is easy to ascertain when they are done. Always take them off with a twist or wrench, to disengage the twig from the flesh, and lay them on a hot stone, buttering them while warm. In baking or steaming them under the coals and ashes do not cut off the heads, but season them, and then take a piece of strong thin paper and smearing it thinly with butter, roll a fish in it, and then envelope it in five or six plies of coarse stravj paper; after saturating each fish so encased in the stream, lay them side by side in a bed of hot ashes and coals ; cover them up, and give a minute to an inch : that is, if a fisli DIES PISCATORI^. 499 is ten inches long, give it ten minutes, and so on. When jou uncover them, they can be removed from the ashes by inserting the forked end of a long stick beneath, and drawing them out. When you take them out of the paper, unroll them carefully on a flat hot stone, open and butter them to your liking, and, above all, regard the head as a precious morsel ; it contains much that is glutinous and fatty ; in the language of Father "Izaak," "they are too good for any but honest anglers." Of course it will occur to the diner-out that a larger fire is necessary in baking than in roasting, and that it should burn down well, in order to produce the requisite quantity of coals and ashes. Trout of nine to twelve inches are best cooked in this manner. Though there are other ways of cooking them on the stream, as frying on flat stones which have been heated in the fire, or "planking" large Trout, none can com- pare with this mode; if there is an objection to it,«it is that one is never satisfied afterwards with the taste of Trout cooked indoors. Old anglers have confessed, after a roast or bake, that they had missed much by not before adopting this simple way of providing a sumptuous dinner ; and that all indoor methods, with their epicurean appliances, were not to be compared with roasting or baking under the ashes. The latter is the surest mode of retaining the natural flavor and sweet juices of the fish. There is also a good-humored dash of vagabondism accom- panying a dinner of this kind ; and as you light your pipe frona a coal, and kick the smouldering chunks and impromptu cooking utensils aside, there is a quiet trust in a bountiful Providence and your own skill, for as sumptuous a meal and hot plates of the same kind on the morrow. And now, if you have dined to your satisfaction by these simple directions, take that small piece of India-rubber from your vest pocket, and rub the frayed fibres from the gut of 500 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. your leader and dropper, and light a fresli pipe ; and as you wade into the limpid water, you will find your rod to deliver the line straighter, and your flies to fall lighter than they did a few hours ago, and yourself cooler in the contest that awaits you with the speckled beauty that refused your fly before dinner, and is now ready to give you a tussle ; and the expe- rience of the " Houseless" has been that the rift or the pool nearest our fire furnishes a few moments of the most active and exciting sport we experience in the day's fishing. FIRST NOONING. TKOUT-FISHING IN HAMILTON COUNTY, N. Y, ' But he heard the Wawonaisa, Heard the Whippoorwill complaining, Perched upon his lonely wigwam ; Hetird the rushing Sebowisha, Heard the rivulet rippling near him, Talking to the darksome forest ; Heard the sighing of the branches, As they lifted and subsided At the passing of the night-wind ; Heard them, as one hears in slumber Far off murmurs, gentle whispers." Longfellow. TROUT-FISHING IN HAMILTON COUNTY, N. Y. FIRST NOONING. [Scene, the shady bank of a Trout-Stream. — Time, after the Roast. — Present : Norman, Walter, and Nestor.] Walter. Well, about fishing at Lake Pleasant and Louie Lake ; how do you get there ? Nestor. The usual route is, or was, by way of Albany and Amsterdam, a station some thirty miles beyond, on the New York Central Railroad, where you take a stage or private conveyance to Northville, and there another for Lake Pleas- ant. Brundage, a spry old fellow of seventy, used to drive us up from Northville, and as we trotted merrily along the Sagan- doga, and crept up the ascent of the table-land, whose forests embosom the beautiful lake, and heard the waters of the outlet dashing through the ravine below, in the dim twilight or pale moonshine, the garrulous old man would entertain us with stories about his son-in-law Partridge, or as he called him ''Patridge," who kept the tavern where we had dined on wild-pigeon squabs, or tell us of the " Piseco Club," who went up the week before, and that it took one wagon to carry the anglers, and another to carry their meat and drink. Their fishing, though, must have exceeded their feeding, for we have it on record, that they caught in one week over eight hundred pounds of Lake and Brook Trout. Our little club, the " Houseless," were only occasional not annual visitors, and fished the lakes and rivers north of Piseco Lake. (503) 604 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK Holmes formerly kept a house for the entertainment of sportsmen at the upper end of the lake, near the stream of water which connects Lake Pleasant with Eound Lake. I always preferred stopping at Satterlee's, a honse of less preten- sion, at the lower end of Lake Pleasant, near the outlet, which was four miles nearer Jessup Eiver and Louie Lake. The first week in June is considered the most favorable time for visiting Hamilton County ; then there is good troll- ing in the lakes ; fly-fishing is at its height a week or so later. There were good boats for trolling the lakes, and expert oarsmen who also acted as guides for the guests of both houses — tough, sinewy fellows who could carry a pack of forty or fifty pounds, and the inseparable and indispensable axe on their backs all day long, and a gun also, if you had a fancy for the steak of a yearling buck. A few days on Lake Pleasant and Round Lake generally gave us trolling enough ; hitching on to a big " laker" and smoking a whole segar, while you waited on him in his runs and sulks, ceased to be sport after performing several feats of the kind, and we would long for more active service amongst the speckled, notwithstanding the certainty of encountering the mosquitoes and black flies in camping out. Our return, though, to a good straw bed at Satterlee's, and a day's trolling on the lake, was what my friend, the little Doctor, called a "let up." NoRMAN". But about the fly-fishing and camping out? Nes. Every man ought to enjoy the sentiment of camping out, if only for once or twice in his lifetime. You have your provisions packed and the guide straps it on his back ; perhaps the landlord gives a lift with his wagon as far as the road is practicable, if there is one in the direction of your place of destination. When you get to your camping-place the guide makes a shanty of spruce-bark, Avhich, with a fire in DIES PISCATORI^.. 505 tront of it, is hot, if the nights are warm ; or one of hemlock boughs, which is like a patent ventilator or a refrigerator, if the nights are cold. There is a pleasing novelty associated with this '' happy-go-lucky" way of living, if the time does not extend beyond a few days or a week. A couple of us once set up our shanty, or rather our guide did it for us, at a place known as the " Indian Clearing," eight or nine miles from Satterlee's, on the Jessup River. It was a beautiful eminence of four or five hundred acres, covered with ferns. In olden times the tribe of St. Regis Indians made it their chief abode, and their lodges covered the top of the hill. We made our shanty on the wooded slope, within hearing of the rapids, to avoid the cool night winds. My recollection of the scene has been refreshed by reading some beautiful lines in Hiawatha, — shall I repeat them to yon ? Nor. I don't like Longfellow's hexameters, they jingle like the song of "The Nigger Gin'ral," that Old Dick Cooper used to sing with his banjo accompaniment, — go on and tell us about the fishing. Nes. You are no poet. — Well, when you fish the ripples, you wade of course; but there is not a great deal of rough water in that part of the country, though there are some rifts on Jessup River and the outlets of some of the lakes. All the month of June you have great sport in the rapids, but after that time there is apt to be but little water on them, and the fish are found mostly in deep, still water, where cool spring brooks enter. In the early part of June I have filled a large creel during the last hour of an afternoon by fishing the rapids, but in that space of time the flies have taken the angler as often as the fish have taken his flies, and with slapping and scratching, you are glad when at sundown you see the guide away down the river under the lee of a good 506 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK smudge, and you hurry along to seek the protection of its friendly though almost blinding smoke. Nor. You say you cannot fish the still waters without a boat ; where do you get one if you are far away from your quarters ? Nes. Part of a guide's business is to have some sort of a boat on all the waters where he may be required to pilot the angler during the summer ; if on a stream of alternate rapids and still water, any kind of a light boat or scow is concealed in the undergrowth along the bank ; if a distant lake is to be fished, or an outlet leading from one to another, a shapely easy rowing boat is hidden where it can be found when required. The boats are used also for deer-hunting in the fall of the year, and are generally hauled to such places on sleds during the previous winter. Your guide rows you over miles of dark water wooded to its very brink ; he will tell you there is no fishing there, though if you are content to troll, you may take a straggler now and then. After a while he will stop at some bend of the river or by a high rock, to you as unlikely a looking place as any you have passed over, and tell you to get ready and go to work. Then if you get your flies over the fish in almost any way, so you do not make too much of a stir or go too close, you have a fellow of a pound and a half at the first cast, and as he goes sailing around, another of a pound may take a fancy to your other fly. Take it coolly, and perhaps you may have two or three dozen from twelve to sixteen inches long before you move. If you ask your guide why the fish should be there, and not in the water you have passed over, he will likely point out a little spring branch which steals its way into the river through the rank grass or water- lilies; the fish collect there because the water is cooler, and you may catch the whole school on a favorable day, and in a DIES PISCATORI^. 507 week or ten days the pool will be stocked with as great a number as you have taken. By the first of August most of the Trout in the rivers of the Adirondack regions collect at such places and remain until spawning time. Walt. I would suppose from the way in which you speak of the Trout of Hamilton County, that they were much larger than the average of this morning's catch — are they the same species ? Nes. There is no specific difference, although the average size is larger and the tints much darker : so is their flesh, but that is no criterion of excellence or condition in the waters in this part of the country ; they do not compare in flavor or delicacy with those we have just eaten. Anglers who are fond of killing great quantities of Trout should go to Hamil- ton and Franklin Counties, that they may get a complete surfeit of fish-catching, which in all cases is not strictly angling. It is a great country for cockney fishermen, who are fond of telling a good story when they get home, though their success generally depends more on their guides than any skill of their own. I once knew a couple of verdant fishermen whom Old Sturgis had taken to Louie Lake, take forty weight out of a pool not larger than the floor of your parlor. For my part, I would rather fish clear lively water like this, with strong rifts and occasionally a still pool ; with its banks sometimes overhung with laurel and alders, and then a stretch of clean gravelly beach, for here the angler has all kinds of practice ; the long light cast for the still pool, or dapping his droppers across the rift as he brings them home, or chucking his flies under the bushes with the backhanded cast, and added to this is the greater sport of killing a fish in rapid water. Nor. Brook Trout are also taken by trolling, are they not? 508 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. Nes. Certainly, I have had great sport on Whittaker Lake, a little sheet of water between Satterlee's and the Indian Clear- ing. Some of the lakes appear to have a variety peculiar to their own water. Those of Louie Lake are very long and round in the body and exceedingly active. Two of us once got our friend Satterlee to haul a boat from Lake Pleasant and launch it in Echo Lake, a fairy little water a mile or so from his house, to troll for some Brook Trout of fabu- lous size which we were told inhabited it. We returned at nightfall with one Trout, which Old Sturgis declared was "as broad as a spruce shingle." We did not weigh it, but it took four hungry men to eat it for supper. Walt. How wide was the spruce shingle to which the old guide compared the Trout ? Nes. You must not cross-question me. I have said that we did not use the scales, nor an inch-measure ; the measure was our appetites, and Sturgis's comparison was what Father Tom Maguire calls " a figure of speech." If you want facts, with dates, and figures of arithmetic, I refer you to the appendix to Dr. Bethune's edition of Walton, where he gives extracts from the journal of the Lake Piseco Club. Nor. How about deer-shooting ? you spoke just now of a steak from a spike buck ? Nes. Spike bucks and young does, are the only good veni- son you get in June, the old does have fawns at that time, and old bucks are out of season. You must go after the middle of August for deer-huntiDg. Our guide once sent his dog out and drove a deer into the water within a hundred yards of us, but there was more murder than sport in killing it. After it swam some distance from the shore we put after it ; a short race brought the boat alongside, when the guide garroted it with a leather thong tied to the two prongs of a forked stick ; be passed his knife across its windpipe, and the "antlered DIES PISCATORI^. 509 monarch" died ignobly. It was a sickening sight, and one I hope never to witness again. When a man on a drive takes his stand, his blood is up with the excitement of the chase, and as the buck bounds by at full tilt, the heel of his gun comes to his shoulder, his sight falls along the line of the barrel, and his finger instinctively finds the trigger : but this cold-blooded murder should be made a capital offence. Great numbers of deer are sometimes destroyed, where they collect during the time of a deep snow, in what are called " yards," when a continued tramping makes a depressed enclosure, from which they are unwilling or unable to escape. Here it is that those who follow hunting as a business, come upon them on their snow-shoes, shoot them down, and send the venison to market. A continued restriction to a yard though, makes them very lean. Walt. You intimated that there were four of you, on your last visit to Lake Pleasant ; did the whole party go together when you camped out ? Nes. a pair of us only, when we wanted good fishing, and the whole party, when we were not so eager and wanted a good time ; then the little Doctor was an important personage ; you ought to have known him twelve or fourteen years ago — he is a sedate man now ; then he never could he quiet when on an excursion, " But spent his days in riot most uncouth, And vexed with mirth the drowsy ear of night ; Ah me ! in sooth he was a shameless wight, Sore given to revel." Walt. Never mind Dr. Caleb, and the bard with the turned- down shirt collar ; there is a very different kind of person across the creek looking at us, — who the deuce is he? Nor. Why that's the man who denied me the right of way 510 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. through his field, along the still water above the saw-mill. I pulled out my segar case and then my flask and offered him a drink, but he obstinately refused, and sticking his hands in his breeches pockets, all he said was : " Thee musnH go through that ryeT TROUT-FISHING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. SECOND NOONING. [Present : Joe, Walter, and Nestor.] Joe. Well, we have been robbed to-day : bread all gone ; butter gone ; pepper and salt '' non est inventus ;" drinking-cup crushed, but the bottle all safe, and it seems to say, ' And I alone am left to tell the tale.' One of us must run down the road to the saw-mill, and get us some bread and butter and some salt and pepper. [Exit Joe, jingling his small change in his pocket.^ [N. B. — Never make a cache in the leaves or bushes on the ground, or within reach of any four-footed animal that has an acute sense of smell ; but put you provender high up in the bushes or in a hollow log, and stop up the end securely.] [Our commissary returns, and reports ^^ Joe. No bread ; potatoes, a quarter peck, small ; butter, half a pound ; eggs, a short dozen ; pepper and salt, "quantum sufr Expense, twenty-nine cents. Walter. Throw on plenty of wood, and make a good bed of coals and ashes ; roll the Trout in wet paper, and lay each fish in as carefully as they do a baby in a crib ; make a hole also in the hottest part of the fire for the potatoes ; the eggs we will keep for a dessert. Joe. If you have dined now. Nestor, tell us about fishing in New Hampshire. Nestor. I know nothing about it from personal experi- ence ; all the information I can give is second-hand. I can 33 (513) 514 AMERICAN A N G L E R ' S BOO K only tell you what Brown told me of the fishing at the White Mountains. But here are some leaves from an old number of the Knickerbocker, with a description of the adventures of three ver}^ scientific anglers in Northern New Hampshire. I brought it along, intending to read it in the house or in Uncle Ickej's saw-mill, some day when we were weather- bound ; but it will do as well now. So take your dudeen out of your mouth, and read it yourself." [Joe takes his seat on a stump, and "ah alto toro sic incipit."] TROUTING IN NORTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE. I HAD often heard of people catching Trout " as fast as they could haul 'em out :" 1 had often been assured of the plausibility of such a fact, but I had my doubts. I knew /had fished for Trout, and never " hauled 'em out" at all, and so I was a sceptic as to any such proceedings as enthusi- astic anglers from the north of the Granite State had repeatedly affirmed to have been within their daily experience. Taking all things into con - sideration, therefore, I determined to try for myself. There were three of us : our baggage as follows : Item, one bottle of gin, two shirts : Item, one bottle schnapps, two pair stockings : Item, one bottle Schiedam, one pair fishing-pants : Item, one bottle genuine aromatic, by Udolpho Wolfe, name on the wrapper, without which the article is fic- titious, one pair extra boots: Item, one bottle extract of juniper-berry ; one bottle brandy, long and wide, prescribed by scientific skill for medi- cinal purposes. Also, rods, flies, tackle in abundance, and a supply of gin ; in addition, each of us had a quart-flask in our pockets, containing gin. We also had some gin inside when we started. Thus prepared, we started by rail from where the gin was purchased, for Littleton, which we reached in the afternoon. Littleton is a large and flourishing community, composed chiefly of ephemeral stage drivers, black-legs, and acute landlords, who play poker with unsuspecting travellers over night, to Avhom they lend money in the morning to pay their tavern-bills. We did not abide in Littleton. We procured a wagon and two horses, or rather, about one and a half, and set forth about three p. m. As soon as we reached the highway, and were I E S P I S (" A T 0 R I .E . 51.'i Back of us lay the lofty summits of the White Mountains — Washington, La Fayette, and Adams, towering above the rest, as those illustrious names among mankind. At the distance of twenty or thirty miles, their well- defined outlines rose against the sky in solemn, gloomy grandeur, and their immense presence seemed to annihilate the space that intervened. I have been in the habit of thinking that my own native West is the most beautiful country upon God's earth, and, indeed, in richness of foliage and verdure, in brilliancy of color, I know of none that surpasses it. In the spring-time of the year, when everything is bursting forth in vigorous life ; when the trees bud in fearless defiance of frost, and flowers bloom in bright profusion : when the corn transcends all limits of respectable growth, and the grain starts its tender shoots before the snow has quite gone, and in later summer, when the golden harvest is ripe for the sickle, and. swayed by the gentle wind, the vast field rolls like the billows of the sea ; with the cultivated garden, the farm with its barns of plenty, and its presses bursting wnth new wine ; the plain with its velvet grass, the hill- side with its luxuriant vine, Nature presents no lovelier sight than meets the eye and gladdens the heart of the dweller in the Buckeye State. Still, such scenery conveys no impression of the vast or grand, for the horizon is limited in its view. But among the mountains of the Eastern States, the landscape stretches away before you for miles upon miles, with lakes, streams and rivers, villages and farms, spread out in one great picture. But however beautiful the sight, the sun began to get hot, and ideas of sentiment rapidly vanished, and soon arriving at one of those cool springs that burst forth from the hill-side at every few rods, we stopped to refresh our parched constitutions. The second day's ride brought us to Coiebrook, where the reign of pork begins. And here let me say a word of this staple commodity of the " rural districts." After you get up into this country, you see nothing but pork. Not fresh pork (shades of Elia, defend us!) but salt pork, that has been pickled, brined, and put away in a barrel. They chiefly fry it, when it resolves itself into a compound of liquid grease, and a tough substance, resembling underdone sole-leather, nutritive but not attractive. They fry pork for breakfast, they do the same for dinner, and are not original in the point of supper. They fry it with their potatoes ; sometimes they fry it in a skillet : I believe they use it in their tea. For two mortal weeks we had nothing but pork, until we got among the Trout, and then we had trout and 516 AMERICAN ANOLKR'S BOOK. pork, and pork and trout, and trout with or witliout pork, and pork with or without trout, according to the taste and fancy of the person porking or trouting, either or both respectively. At Colebrook, as I said, we began on pork. It was the first I had expe- rienced, and I thought it considerably great. Subsequent events, how- ever, succeeded in eradicating that notion from my bosom. Leaving Colebrook, we started for the Dixville Notch. We inquired the state of the route before starting, and were informed that, "in some places, it wasn't so good as others," which was about the extent of the informa- tion to be obtained. The people of New Hampshire are remarkably cautious in their statements, and not at all prone to exaggeration, and when we learned that our route was "in some places a little rough," we thought to have a comparatively easy time of it. But, shades and ministers of grace defend us ! people surrounded by the comforts of civilized life can have no idea of what roads are, or rather what a road can be, if it only has a mind to,, In the first place, it is like going up and down the side of a house. In going down a steep pitch, a bottle was jolted out of the rear of the wagon, and fell over the horses' heads. That's a fact ! I have the affida- vits. In addition, the way is impeded by immense granite boulders, a number of feet one way, and as many the other, which seem to have been shaken out of a bag, with the profusion of a pepper-box. Then, again, there is no road to speak of at all, it having been abandoned, as we after- ward learned, some ten years past ; the rain also has washed out deep gulleys, where your wheels are on each side, and your horses down below, underneath the wagon. But the crowning feature is the bridges. Bridges here are made to let people through into the water ; for that purpose they have large holes in them, loosely covered with brush-wood, and when the unwary traveller steps upon it, he is seen no more ; and when they can't get holes big enough, they have immense logs rotted to the proper point, and when you step upon them the log caves, as it were, and you then per- ceive the exact purpose for which the structure was intended, as above stated. We came to one of these bridges, and two of us, having some idea relative to personal safety, declined crossing in the wagon, and got out to see it go down, and sure enough, when the near horse got in the middle, away went the whole concern, and the animal went through into the bot- tom of the creek. It was not, however, so deep but that, by a judicious use of his fore-legs, he could crawl out of the hole through which he had gone down, and he came up on terra firma a wet, and, to some extent, an agitated quadruped. DIES PISCATORl^. 517 This may not perhaps be interesting to the uninitiated, but one who has not witnessed cannot conceive how funny it looks, to be driving a pair of horses, and suddenly see one disappear to the extent of about one-half, his fore-legs pawing in the air, and his hind-legs somewhere else, not imme- diately visible, the general effect being that of an attempt to climb a tree, without any particular prospect of success. No accident, however, hap- pened, and no other inconvenience than that of one or more legs going through every bridge we crossed. The next day we reached the falls of the Androscoggin, but had not yet attained the trouting region. We took a boat and guide, loaded in our traps, and put out for the Megalloway. This river is crooked beyond any power of description ; it is a practical exemplification of the ways of the Evil One. One minute the sun is behind you ; the next, ahead ; then right and left, cross the middle, up and down in every imaginable position. You have to row three miles to get anywhere, if it isn't more than twenty rods off. We reached the lower landing, at the farm where we stopped, and it was about an eighth of a mile by land, and two miles and a half by the river, to the house. Water is not a speedy means of locomotion in Northern New Hampshire. Our first day's fishing was in the Diamond River, and a good time we had of it. I tried to keep my feet dry till I tumbled in, and then I stayed in. The water h||e is rapid, and the stream full of rocks, on which you step, and in you go: this is invariable. In fishing for Trout, two things are to be observed ; first, you must fall down in the water, and secondly, break your rod : N had broken his before he started, and soon in he went, up to his neck. To tumble down in a stream like the Diamond, beside being inconvenient, is confusing ; the water carries you off' your feet, and bumps you against the rocks ; its roar deafens you, and you think you're going to drown ; your fishing- basket goes one way, and your tackle another, and you regain your feet with a general sense of damp, to hear your friend laughing at you. In this day's fishing we caught about seventy-five pounds of Trout among four of us. At night we returned, quite well tired, to the farm-house which was our temporary abode. We had fried pork for supper. I believe I stated that they had pork in this country. We then went to bed, or rather to musquitoes. There were four of us, with two beds, in a room, which, so far from David Copperfield's being able to swing a cat in it, he couldn't have per- Ibrnied that feat with a kitten. IS AMERICAN ANGLER'S ROOK Having prepared ourselves for repose, out AvcMit the candle, and in came the musquitoes. N had brought with hiiu a concoction prepared by some medical friend, which was to keep off these invidious insects. It smelt strongly of spearmint and unclean oil. It worked, however, like a miracle, for the musquitoes would light on our faces, and their feet would stick fast in the stuff — it had an extract of tar in it for that purpose — and by the time a small troop were thus entrapped, then you had music. Anon you would hear H give a rousing clap, and with an expletive state : "There! I missed him!" So we rolled and tossed, till finally N burst out laughing, wanting to know if I was awake. Sleep being impossible, we lit our pipes, and sat up in bed to take a smoke. Jokes were cracked, stories were told, and we made night, up in that room, comparatively hideous. Next morning we learned that there was a sick baby down stairs, and the supposition in the family was, that our noise hadn't helped its colic any. ♦ That house w^ill not soon fade from our memory. We slept in an attic, where the roof slanted down over the heads of the beds, so that it was not ten inches above the pillow ; the roof was innocent of lath, plaster, or any of those little amenities that tend to make existence endurable. Rustic ingenuity, upon the rafters over-head, liad pinned, in the character of wall-paper, certain emanations of the press, among which were the Christian Herald, Boston Post, and New Hampshire P^-iot. The strong point of this contrivance was, that all manner of bugs, spiders, and other creeping things, seemed to assemble in convention in the silent watches of the night, and essayed the climbing of these papers, which being rather much inclined, rendered the task of the insects diffi- cult ; but perseverance seemed to be a predominant trait, for all night long we heard these reptiles scratching, scraping, and rustling up and down the paper, at the agreeable distance of about a foot from our heads. Occa- sionally a spider, more adventurous than the rest, would drop down by his web, and alight on our faces, but he generally beat a precipitate retreat. Then, too, there was a death-watch near the head-board, and he kept up his dismal ticking as long as w^e were conscious. This death-watch is an abominable nuisance. Its regular, monotonous, unceasing beat, heard in fearful proximity about eleven o'clock at night, when everybody else is asleep, is enough to drive a nervous man crazy. I would rather have six-pounders fired off at me all night. However, morning at last came, and we consulted as to what course should be taken, whether to turn homeward and fish on our wav back, or D I E 8 P I S C A T 0 R r /E . 519 strike further north. We finally concluded to adopt the latter course. "Wc procured a guide, got a wagon, left most of our luggage, took a change of raiment, all the gin, and started. We rode about six miles to a house, which is the last one upon the extremities of civilization. From this place we were to walk over a " carry," stated to be about a mile and a half long, but which was nearer six. So we packed our traps on our backs. Our guide carried all the camp equipage. N had a fishing-basket with the gin in it ; the carpet-bag with our vestments, an axe, a rifle, a skillet, a bag of salt, a chunk of pork — they have pork in this country — some wet matches, and an over-coat : the rest of us followed with such articles as remained, piled on in a promiscuous manner. This was my first experience in " carrying," the generic word for this sort of business, and I must be allowed to state that, as a general proposi- tion, I do not admire this species of locomotion either in point of speed or comfort. The day Avas hot, and such a road ! eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of any man to conceive. It was up hill and down ; through bogs and swamps ; over fallen trees ; encountering impenetrable thickets. A wagon-path had formerly been cut through the woods, as though some one had entertained the idea that such a route might be travelled by beasts of burden, in connection with some kind of vehicle ; if such a notion was ever conceived, we can only be amused at the simplicity of the individual. The path was infested with immense rocks that were smooth and slippery with moss, and when you put your foot on them, down you went, and when you were down, the mos quitoes had you ; for though when in motion their attacks were suspended, yet, if you stopped, they came at you with renewed vehemence. Slipping and falling, when you are fresh and light, is not of much con- sequence ; but when you are tired out, and have an hundred pounds on your back, it's a fearful joke. I had trudged on till, through fatigue, I had become just desperate, and would not have made any exertion to save life itself. I stepped on the point of a stone, it was treacherous, and myself, pack and all, reposed softly in the morass. The mud was knee-deep ; exhausted nature had spent all her energies ; I could not move hand nor foot ; the mosquitoes assailed me in legions ; through an opening in the trees the sun poured down his relentless rays ; I thought my hour had come, and, memory unconsciously reverting to the days of childhood, I was about beginning. " Now I lay me down." — when I heard N on ahead exclaiming, at the top of his voice, in all the consciousness of im- mense and impregnable strength — 520 AMERICAN ANGLER'S LOOK. " There is a pleasure in the pathless wood." It would have aiforded me satisfaction, there and then, to have knocked his head off. We accomplished the end, nevertheless, and reached the bank of the Megalloway just above the falls, to avoid which we had passed the " carry." We found here a little flat-bottomed boat, about fourteen feet long, and amply sufficient to carry a pound of butter and a dozen eggs, and when the guide told us that we were all to go in that cockle-shell, I proceeded to narrate to him a legend relating to three individuals of age and experi- ence, who are reported to have dwelt in the State of New York, and who set forth upon a certain journey by water, in a class of sailing-craft not popularly in vogue among mariners, and with regard to whom it is confi- dently asserted that if their means of conveyance had been of a more permanent character, their traditionary reminiscences would have been prolonged. Our guide, however, assured us that the week before the same frail bark had brought down four men with a moose they had killed ; and somewhat reassured, but still with fear and trembling, we loaded our luggage. The vessel sank in the water to within three inches of her gunwale, and we had to keep the trim so nicely adjusted that if you winked one eye with- out the other, you were in imminent danger of upsetting. Once fairly started, thoughts of danger vanished, and our little boat glanced over the water at a refreshing rate. The river was perfectly still, with no current, and its smooth surface only broken by the leap of the Trout, and the splashing start of the fright- ened wild-duck. High mountains arose on either side, and the river-banks were lined with scrubby pine and birch, whose interlaced boughs ren- dered passage impervious except to the denizens of the forest. Our point of destination was a place called Beaver Brook, some two miles up the stream, where it was supposed that Trout would be found. We reached there about five o'clock in the afternoon, and the sport then began in earnest. In my time I have fished, as it may be, considerable. I have fished for various specimens of the finny trilje ; I have essayed Cod in Boston Harbor, and Herring and Mackerel on the sea-coast: I have whipped almost every stream for Trout in Massachusetts and Connecticut ; I have taken Salmon in the Ohio, Trout in Mackinaw and Minnesota, Perch in the Mississippi, and bobbed for Whale on the coasts of Florida, but I had not reached the acme of fishing. As before stated, I had heard all DIES PISCATORIvE. 521 sort of " fish stories" from persons who had explored the northern regions : I had listened to their statements with silent acquiescence, but inwardly distrusting ; but when the reality came, there was no exaggeration that could at all come up to the simple fact. Innocent stranger ! Thou who readest these lines ! perhaps you never caught a Trout. If so, thou knowest not for what life was originally intended. Thou art a vain, insignificant mortal ! pursuing shadows ! Ambition lures thee, Fame dazzles. Wealth leads thee on, panting ! Thou art chasing spectres, goblins that satisfy not. If thou hast not caught a trout, this world is to thee, as yet, a blank, existence is a dream ! Go and weep. Come with me, and thou shalt see for what man was made. Thou shalt learn for what those faculties were given, that thou art wasting on minor objects. The brook rolls brightly before thee ; the forest is deep and wild, and its branches hang over the stream ; it leaps on with silvery laughter, like youth that bounds joyfully to the dark ocean of age. Its smooth waters dash against the rocks, and become brawling foam, as broken hopes are turned to raging passions. It darts through narrow places, over opposing obstacles, as untiring energy bursts its way through untried and devious paths. It gathers in quiet pools, and returns in gentle eddies up the stream, as the thwarted purpose, the disappointed wish recoils upon itself, or settles into sluggish apathy. Now, put up your pole, and take your first Trout, poor innocent. Rig on your fly 1 not that great big red thing— put on that little gray one with the small hook. Don't you know that a Trout is the daintiest, most delicate fish that swims ? You pitch at him a bait as big as your fist, and he'll turn up his nose in disgust ; but just cover the point of your hook with the smallest possible piece of worm, or take the smallest fly, and he'll go at it like a Shark. Now, do you see that dark object ofi" yonder, lying by the side of that stone? — that's about a pound and a half: we'll have him. Pitch in your fly, and skip it over the water lively ; not that way — that's down the stream ; cast your fly up. If you had any sense, which you haven't, you'd know that Trout always lie with their heads up-stream ; and if you cast down-stream, in the first place, they'll see you, and won't bite, and if they do, you'll pull the hook right out of their mouths ; but if you throw up-stream they bite faster, and yoii, have a better chance of striking your barb through their gills. There ! your fly touches the water ; see those fellows jump at it ; but those are little fellows, and don't weigh more than a quarter of a pound. Follow N 's suggestion, and put up a notice on the bank : " Small Trout are requested not to bite !" Now heave again. See there ! — that was a pretty jump he made; but :>'y AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. he luisscil. Try him once more and you'll strike. Now he's on ; let youv reel run ; there he goes up-stream. How nicely he springs out of the water ! he's got frightened, and don't know what's the rumpus. Reel him in a little ; don't pull too hard, or you'll break your pole ; you see, it's bent double already. Just hold him tight enough to guide him, and he'll tire himself out in a few minutes ; he can't. stand it long, dashing about at this rate. Don't get too much excited, or he'll fool you yet. When you strike a fish you must be cool and collected. You see they are of an ex- citable temperament, and when they get the barb into their mouths they become agitated ; they are also gamy, and make a good fight, and conse- quently, if you are anywise rash, and attempt to get them in too soon, ten to one you'll break your line. Now you see the rascal has started down- stream for the river, and thinks if he gets into deep water he'll be out of the way. Let him slide : lot 3-our reel go out its full length. Now he's still ; he don't feel you pull, and thinks he's safe. Begin and reel him up. Now he's waked up again worse than ever. Don't he go pretty ? Just hold him steady up the stream, and as his mouth is wide open, he'll drown soon ; because, if jon drown a Trout Ke thereby becomes dead, and when dead, is in a perfectly passive state. See, his struggles are becoming feebler and feebler; you'll have him soon. Be patient: now he's still; put him up to the side of the boat, and take hold of him just behind the gills. There, isn't he a beauty? Don*t those bright spots and silver stripes go to your heart? Don't you wish you were as good-looking as a Trout ? Wouldn't you captivate your friends ? The shades of eve begin to fall. I sit in the foot ; N— — a little below ; H above. It is still as night, except the repeated splash of fish as they rise at the fly, or as they struggle in vain attempts to escape. I have at various times, in various places, made various statements with regard to our success upon that particular afternoon, none of which have as yet been believed. Friends, of whom I had a right to expect better things, have upon occasions winked knowingly when I have narrated my experience ; some have laughed outright ; some have remarked unreserv- edly that that was a " fish story." Others have detected seeming incon- sistencies, and irreverently asked for explanations ; and again it has been inquired which was the trout, and which was the gin. I therefore will content myself with the following statement, made upon honor, that in a very short time we caught a very large number of fish. While we were fishing, our guide was pitching our tent. Our guide was a great institution ; he was a complete backwoodsman. With an axe DIES P I S C A T 0 11 1 .v. Le could do or make anything in the world. I believe he could make a watch with that axe. He could chop down a tree in no time, and in the tree he'd find a coon, or a nest of squirrels, and a whole hive full of wild honey ; whereupon he'd have food and raiment for a month. He had great skill and mechanical ingenuity : and though of slight frame, his strength was enormous, and his endurance eternal. He could row a boat all day without stopping. He could climb over rocks and mountains for a week with a pack on his back, that I couldn't lift with a pair of horses. He'd be in the water for twelve hours without inconvenience. He was modest, good-natured, always ready to do anything, and was amazingly tickled to hear us talk and joke. He confined himself principally to gin. In the few days he was with us, he became very fond of us ; and when we parted, he rigged ia sail out of my shawl, with which we rowed comfoi"t- ably against a head-wind for seven miles. He was fond of woods sport. When we had finished fishing and it grew dai-k, we went ashore to where he had rigged our tent. He had cut a quantity of small hemlock boughs, with which he covered the floor of the tent about six inches deep, over which he spread his camp blankets, and made a couch softer than downy pillows are. He had also a huge log fire, and we made preparations to cook supper. Imprimis, a skillet is indis- pensable in the woods. It is convertible to many uses and purposes : you can bail a boat with it splendidly ; wash your face with it ; boil water and make tea, and wash the dishes : bake bread : fry potatoes, pork, and Trout, and feed the dogs with it after supper. So we got out the skillet, cleaned a lot of Trout, cut the slices of pork (we had brought a piece of pork, and a bag containing bread and dough- nuts : to be sure, they had been in the bottom of the boat, and all got soaked, but that made no difi'erence), and the pork hissed, and we turned the Trout with a wooden spoon and put salt on them, and then the Trout hissed: once in a while one would drop into the fire, and if the dog wasn't watching, and you were quick, you could get it again. But I had a big fight over one great fellow that tumbled out of the pan : I got him by the head and the dog got him by the tail, and it was nip and tuck, pull Dick pull devil : the dog a little ahead, for the fish broke in two, and he got mor'n half; but he subsequently choked on the back-bone, at which I was rejoiced. We rang the bell for tea. The guide made some torches of birch-bark, and stuck them up aroimd, and we had an illuminated ban- quet-hall. We spread our viands on another piece of birch-bark : each fellow took 524 A M L-; II I C A N ANGLER'S BOO K a forked stick, and tlion and there we fed. We then cleared away the table and washed the dishes, by throwing the birch-bark into the fire and leaving the skillet to the dog. We then held a council of war, and concluded to cross-examine a bottle of gin. Gin has its uses in the woods. But we were without water, and had nothing but those leathern drinking-cups, holding about a gill. Here was a difficulty at once, for to be under the necessity of going down to the stream every time you wanted a drink, was not to be thought of; beside, we might be thirsty in the night. But our guide solved the problem. He took that immortal axe and went ofi" into the woods, and came back in a minute with some large sheets of birch-bark — birch-bark is also a wonder- ful invention ; so he sat dov/n to make a birch-bark bucket. I don't know how it's done ; N does, and he showed me two or three times ; but for the life of me, I couldn't see through it. About these things I'm thick about the head. It is somehow thus : You take a large square sheet of birch-bark and some wooden pins, you turn up one end of the bark and stick in a pin, you then turn up the side and fasten it to the end ; you double the ends together and fasten them with these pins ; turn it up all around, so the water won't run out, fasten it, and there's your bucket ; it is a very simple contrivance, and eminently practical. He got one com- pleted, and found a knot-hole in the bottom, but finally made one that held about three quarts ; so we filled it, placed it beside the tent, and began those experiments with the gin, to which brief allusion has been made. After eating and drinking we lit our pipes. You take pipes and tobacco in this country altogether ; segars are perfectly useless. I carried the tobacco loose in one of my pockets, which was a reservoir for the whole party. One has no idea of the luxury of a pipe in the woods until it has been tried ; it is vastly superior to any other known method of combusting the weed. You might smoke forty segars and not obtain the same amount of satisfaction that a solitary pipe afibrds. Therefore we sat in the door of the tent, and as the smoke curled gracefully away we had sundry ope- ratic performances, in which I acted the part of Prima, and N of base, Donna ; and the woods rang with the entrancing melody of our voices ; while afar off we heard the hoot of the owl, and once in awhile the scream of a wild-cat; but we were not at all alarmed. I should not omit to relate one of my troubles, and that was in the way of boots. A kind friend at Hanover lent me a fine pair of fishing-boots, that came almost up to my ears, and had groat l>ig legs to them. I first DIES P I S C A T 0 R I /F, . 525 fished with them in the Diamond River. I endeavored to manoeuvre so as not to go over boot-top, but pretty soon I tumbled in, and when I got up my boots were full of water, and weighed about two tons apiece ; so I waded ashore for the purpose of eliminating the element. I laid down on my back, and raised my heels up in the air, and the ultimate consequences were, that the whole quantity of fluid found its way out at the back of ni}' neck, just below the left ear. During our whole trip the great occasion of the day was the getting my boots off. Many of you know what wet boots are ; I had them in perfection. Our guide was a first-rate boot-jack, otherwise I should be wearing the articles at the present day. I lay down on the floor, N would take hold of my shoulders, the guide and H hold of my boots, and we would work, and twist, and accomplish the feat, or rather feet, in about an half-hour. Item, when fishing for Trout, wear shoes. Boots off, and otherwise happy, we lay in the tent, smoked, and em- ployed ourselves in the charms of conversation. Our guide had gone off into the woods some distance, and soon we heard a crackling and snapping as though the world was about to conflagrate. We rushed out of the teut, and saw, off in the forest, a large tree all on fire from turret to foundation- stone. It flashed, and blazed, and roared, and I thought the whole wil- derness was going, so I seized a few articles of value, and was about taking to the water for safety, but was restrained by N , who said it was some of the guide's work, which it proved to be. Birch trees are covered with a light bark, which every year peels off to about the thickness of a sheet of paper ; this dies, and drying, becomes like tinder, and is used as such ; and if you touch a match to the root of a tree, the blaze flashes up in a moment over every limb, and makes as fine a specimen of indigenous fire- work as may be desired. The night was very dark, and there the tree stood, every limb and branch, all in a blaze, and lighting up the forest like day. The wild birds started from their roosts, flying helter-skelter ; deer and other vermin were scampering in promiscuous confusion, and altogether it was pleasant. Soon another tree started, and then another, and soon half a dozen, in all directions ; and to us, who were novices, the spectacle was beautiful. Our guide soon came back — he had l)een prowl- ing round in his stocking feet — and we all went to bed. The next morning we all went to fishing, and fished to our hearts' con- tent; in fact we became perfectl}^ satiated and disgusted. They bit so fast, and we caught so many, that we lost all relish for it. We filled our boat almost full. Anything less than a half pound in weight we threw 526 A >I l-' I' '• (' A N A N G L E R 'S I! <") 0 K back into the water; and after we all got sick of it, we agreed to take down our poles and not put them up again in that part of the country. About eighty pounds of the largest we concluded to take home with us ; ao our guide made a species of box out of elm-bark, in which we salted down our fish, to pack on our backs. ■* I have thus given an outline of one day's occurrences, and the others were like unto it. We had just as much Trout-fishing as we wanted. We eat so many that we almost killed ourselves ; and finally came to the con- clusion that Trout were not what they were cracked up to be, after all. Joe. Well, what do you think of it ? Nes. Why, I think of the author, that from his frequent allusions to pork, he was from Cincinnati. His description of bridges reminds me of a ride from Hankins's Station to Ches- ter Darby's with Baron G., twelve years ago, when we were caught in a thunderstorm, and did not get to Chester's until midnight ; we crossed a few horse-traps of the kind he describes in the dark. The spiders, bugs, and death-watch refresh my recollections of old friend Snell, on the Loyal- sock. Joe. He is right about the pipes and the skillet, but may possibly be wrong as to the guide's ability to produce a chronometer with his axe. As to drawing off wading-boots, I have had some experience in the matter myself, and can testify as to the course the water takes when a man lies on his back and elevates his heels. His instructions, though, in casting and killing a Trout, are inimitable ; all who would be scientific anglers ought to read them. Here are more stray leaves from the Knickerbocker — poetry, too : " The Skeleton Monk," six pages; and "The Grirl with the Calico Dress." Walt. Keep them to read in the saw-mill some rainy day. [Exit Walter, with sketch-book.] JOK. But hold on; here is "Hans Breitmann's Barty :" D [ E S P I S C A T 0 R I .'E . 527 it is poetry done up prose fashion. Clark suspects Mace Sloper of having perpetrated it. Nes. Let us have it, by all means. Yive le lager! Yive le pretzel ! Vive le Engel & Wolf ! Joe. Well, then, be quiet, while I read you the adventure and impressions made on the mind of the gentleman who attended HANS B R E I T M A N N ' S B A R T Y . Hans Breitmann gife a bartj — dej had biano blayin — 1 felled in lofe mit a Merican frau. Her name was Madilda Yane. She hat haar as proun as a pretzel bun ; de eyes were himmel blue ; and ven she looket into mine, dey shplit mine heart in two. Hans Breitmann gife a barty : I vent dar you'll pe pound. I valzet mit der Madilda Yane — und vent shpinnen round vmd round. De pootiest freilein in the hou^e — she vayed pout doo hoondert pound. Hans Breitmann gife a barty — I dells you, it cost him dear. Dey rollt in more as seven kecks of foost rate Lager Bier — und venefer dey knocks de shpicket in, de Deutschers gifes a cheer. I dinks dat so vine a barty nefer coom to a het dis year. Hans Breitmann gife a barty. Dar all vas souse and brouse. Ven de sooper come in, de gompany did make deraselves de house. Dey ate das Brot und Gensybroost ; die Bratwoorsfc and Braten fine, and wash das Abendesseu down mit four parrels of Neckarwein. Hans Breitmann gife a barty : ve all got troonk as pigs : I poot mine mout to a parrel of bier und schwallowed it oop mit a schwigs — und denn I kissed Madilda Yane, und she schlap me on de kop, und de goompany fought mit taple leeks dill de coonstaple made oos schtop. Hans Breitmann gife a bai-ty : vhere is dat barty now ? There is de lofely golten cloudt dat float on der moundain's prow ? Vhere is de him- melstrahlende stern — de schtar of de spirit's light — all goned afay mit de Lager Blei — afay in der Evigkeit. Joe. The editor's comment is, that the " internal evidence" here is very strong. Nes. There is a touch of sublime melancholy in the last verse that reminds me of Jack Reeves, in the character of a 528 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. sentimental old cook reading the " Sorrows of Werter/' and skinning eels. I have some impression of the meaning of " Evigkeit," from the connection in which it is used. What is the true translation? Joe. I admired the effusion so much at the time it ap- peared, that I read it once to a German friend, who fully- appreciated it, and laughing, explained the word you refer to, by saying, '' de schtar of de spirit's light," and de lager all went away together into de everlasting, de futurity. — But what is Walter doing ! Nes. Just what Benjamin West did when he caught the man stealing his father's pears — taking the rogue's picture. The Thief that stole our Di>fN-EU THIRD NOONING TROUT-FISHING IN THE EEGIONS (JF LAKE SUPERIOR. ' Can it be the sun descending O'er the level plain of water ? Or the Red Swan floating, flying, Wounded by the magic arrow, Staining all the waves with crimson, With the crimson of its life-blood, Filling all the air with splendor With the splendor of its plumage ? " Yes : it is the sun descending, Sinking down into the water ; All the sky is stained with purple, All the water flushed with crimson ! No; it is the Red Swan floating, •Diving down beneath the water; To the sky its wings are lifted. With its blood the waves are reddened 1 Over it the Star of Evening Melts and trembles in the purple, Hangs suspended in the twilight. No- it is a bead of wampum, On the robes of the Great Spirit, As he passes through the twilight, Walks in silence through the heavens !" Longfellow. TKOUT-FISHING IN THE EEGIONS OF LAKE SUPERIOK. THIRD NOONING. [After the Roast. — Present : Normax, Morry, and Nestor.] Norman. You say, Nestor, that you have been to Lake Superior, and that there is fine fishing there. Nestor. I have never been farther than the little town of St. Mary, which is at the ^'Sault," the outlet of the lake. I have fished there for Trout, but that was twenty years ago. Several of my friends have visited Lake Superior since the canal around the rapids has been completed, and have had fine sport. Boats leave Buffalo and Detroit every week during the summer for the towns that have sprung up on Lake Superior since the copper region has been opened, and, from what I can learn, the trip would richly repay an angler, who would handle his rods and pack up his traps, and depart about the 1st of June for that beautiful country. I had a talk with my friend Roberts after his return three years ago. He had fine sport during the month of June in the rapids at Sault Ste. Marie, and wherever he stayed for a few days on Lake Supe- rior. I have a pasteboard profile of a Brook Trout, which he gave me, hanging against my wall, at home, with this note on it : * " Taken by J. E. Cady, of St. Mary, Michigan, * A repetition of this same memorandum appears on page 204 ; as this is an account of the Trout-fishing of that part of the country I reinsert it here. (531 532 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. July 30, 1858. WeigK 6J pounds; lengtli, 24 inches ; cir- cumference, 13J ; taken in the Batchewaunaung, Canada West. At the same time took six more. Weight of the seven fish, 31 J pounds." Eoberts says that Mr. Cady's word is not to be doubted. The head of the Lake Trout which you may see in the window, at Philip Wilson's gun and tackle store, in Chestnut above Fourth Street, was brought from Lake Superior, by the President of our little club, and though it is twenty-one inches in circumference, it is from a small fish compared with some that have been taken there. I have no doubt, that a person who was properly prepared, could troll successfully for these monster Trout — if he could hit the right time, say in June, and find boatmen who knew where to fish for them. I have been told 'also, that the Canadian steamers, which ply between Toronto and Chicago, stop at several points on Manitouline Islands, where there are fine Trout-streams within easy distance ; but there it would be unnecessary to camp out. It is said, that there is also fine Black Bass fishing in the little bays along the same islands. Nor. But, what do you know personally of the fly-fish- ing on Lake Superior ? Nes. I have already told you that it is now more than twenty years since I Avas at Sault Ste. Marie, and that I was never beyond there ; I have a letter, though, in the breast- pocket of my old fishing -jacket, which was written by your humble servant to a brother of the angle, while waiting at Mackinaw for a boat, after his return from the Sault ; if you have energy enough left, and can keep awake after the half- dozen Trout you have eaten, you may read it. Nor. Let me knock the ashes out of my pipe, and moisten my mouth with the little bit of claret you have left in that bottle, and I'll try it. DIES PISCATORI^. 533 " Mackinaw, June 24, 1843. '' Dear Will :— ''In your last letter, wliich I received just before leaving New Orleans, you begged 'that I would all my pilgrimage dilate,' and tell you if my anticipations of Trout-fishing at Sault Ste. Marie were realized. As I shall have to wait here until the 27th for the Detroit boat, and have seen all the sights about the island, I take this method of killing time, and will tell you of my adventures 'and portance in my travel's history.' *' Previous to my departure from New Orleans, I made the acquaintance of Mr. Chew, of Mississippi, who gave me a pressing invitation to call on him on my way up, and make one of a party to visit ' Lake Bruin,' opposite Grand Gulf^ where he had caught, in an afternoon of the previous summer, thirty 'Trout' (Southern Bass), each of them two feet long Think of that I sixty feet of Bass at a single fishing I As I had in view my trip to Lake Superior, I reluctantly declined Mr. Chew's kind invitation, and pushed on to St. Louis, and then to see our cousins near Boonville. '' The Brents have settled some fifteen miles back of the town, on the edge of a prairie, and are doing well ; one of the complaints, though, amongst the settlers from the Old Domin- ion is, that they have scarcely tasted a smoked herring since leaving their native state. The afternoon of the day of my arrival, Bob proposed fishing in some of the ' sleughs' and ponds supplied by the back water of the Tete Saline, in time of the spring freshets ; when the Bass and Perch run up to spawn, and many of them are left in the ponds when the water recedes. Fancy two men, armed with long reed-poles, on leggy horses, loping over the prairie a la Camanche, nothing in sight but the blue sky above, and the rolling green beneath, and no sound but the occasional whirring of a 534 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. prairie-fowl. — What a lonesome, beautif ally monotonous scene [ After twenty minutes' gallop we saw trees in a hollow at a distance, which are sure indications of water on the prairie. We soon had our lines tied to the ends of our rods, and caught minnows for bait, and then caught Bass and Perch — fishing from horseback when trying the different sleughs, and dis- mounting whenever the fish bit freel}^ We came back at sunset, each with a string of fish at his saddle-bow. "On returning to St. Louis, I took a boat for Peoria, Illinois, and then a smaller one for Peru. We had but few passengers on the smaller boat, and I found the engineer a clever fellow, with a rifle in his room and a bucket of live minnows in the wheelhouse. When we stopped to wood, or tinker up the old engine, as we did once for half a day, I tried a live minnow, and sometimes one 'bridled,' and caught some fine Black Bass, one of them eighteen inches long. At Peru we took the stage, and after thirty hours' ride over the green desolate prairie, interspersed occasionally with little settlements, arrived at Chicago and embarked on the steamer, and found myself at this strange-looking old town on the afternoon of the second day. " The first odd thing I noticed here was a rough little four- wheeled wagon, which the owner drove on board the steamer; it was drawn by two stout dogs, and loaded with immense Lake Trout and Whitefish. It is all dog (not horse) power here. The inhabitants use them to draw wood from the island on the opposite side of the Strait in winter, and say that a pair of them will draw a sled on the ice loaded with a half- cord of wood without difficulty ; dogs are also used in travel- ling over land when there is a hard crust on the snow. " The water in the Straits here, as in all of these lakes, is exceedingly clear. You can easily distinguish the heads of the nails and the seams in the hull of a steamboat as it lies DIES PISCATORI^. 535 at the wharf, and see clear under her, as if she was suspended in the air. I saw boys trying to spear Lake Herrings in fifteen feet water, at the end of the pier ; the fish were plainly visi- ble at the bottom. " Mackinaw is a queer old town ; it was built by the French soon after they made their first settlements at Quebec and Montreal, and was one of the principal posts of the early fur- traders. The houses of the ' habitans,' as the native French are called, are weather-boarded and roofed with cedar bark, the moss and lichens adhering to it, and causing even a new house to look hoary with age. The bay, or harbor, is crescent- shaped, with a wide pebbly beach, dotted with the tents of the Chippewa Indians, who receive the government annui- ties, and buy most of their goods here. When they come with a fair gale, it is a beautiful sight to see the sailing of their light birch canoes ; with a fresh breeze astern, they sail like the wind. " At the fort on the hill I became acquainted with the veri- table Captain Martin Scott, so well known as a crack rifle- shot, and his connection with the Coon Story. I had supposed him to be a mere myth before ; he never shoots now, but rests on the reputation he has won. I have had no fishing with my rod here ; before my visit to the Sault, though, I went out one day near Bois Blanc Island with my landlord's son, to lift his gill-nets, and took some large Lake Trout and White- fish out of them. I am told that there is fine Trout-fishing in Carp Kiver, about ten miles from here, where they take a piece of pork, or an artificial fly indiscriminately. I have seen a Lake Trout here which weighed forty-five pounds ; it was caught with a hand-line in deep water. The man who captured it told me he has taken them twice as large, and that they have been caught in Lake Superior weighing as much as a hundred pounds " 536 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. Nor. (laying down the letter.) Whe-e-euh ! that's a whopper. Nes. Which, the fish or the story ? NoK. Both — the story, in particular. Yon ought to have asked that man to fall a pound or two. Nes. I thought it was rather a "fish story," but I believe that there are Lake Trout of that size. Nor. You are a good believer, Nestor, and I must confess that I have tried your faith a little myself, on one or two occasions. But when I hear it ''piled up" in that way, I say, with fat old Jack, '' Lord, how this world is given to lying !" I see, though, your journal is bringing us towards the Sault at last. [Reads again.] " On a bright June morning, at sunrise, I started on a steamboat, the first that ever made the passage to the Sault ; it was her second trip. The only way of reaching it before this time, was in Mackinaw boats in summer, and on snow- shoes and dog-sleds in winter. I arrived in nine hours, and stopped with Mr. Barbier, an old voyageur and guide, whose life has been spent in this wilderness of woods and waters. He keeps a store with a general assortment of Indian goods, which he sells for money, or barters for furs, sun-dried corn, and maple sugar. '' There is no cascade, or what might properly be called a fall, in the outlet of Lake Superior, but the 'Sault,' as the word implies, is a rapid, or a succession of them. There is a descent of about twenty-five feet in three-quarters of a mile. A canal to pass the rapids has been projected, and already commenced by the government, which will open all the rich copper region on the lake, to the navigation of steamboats and sailing-craft of moderate draft of water. A brig and a schooner, built on the lake above, were taken safely down the rapids last summer. It is about fifteen miles to Gros DIES PISCATORIiE. 537 Cap, at the lower end of Lake Superior. My limited time, and my anxiety to fisli the rapids, did not allow of my visit- ing it. " The town of St. Mary, I will venture to say, has more dogs, for its population, than any village this side of the Esquimaux country. Every white man, half breed, and Indian has more of them than a Virginia farmer has cows and horses; it is a wonder where they all get enough to 'pit their paunch in.' Barbier says that dead horse, dead cow, dead dog, or anything they can steal, from a spermaceti candle to a pair of greased moccasins, does not come amiss to them ; and, as our old friend. Jack Tancil, of Warrenton, says of his hounds, ' they are everlastingly sarching.' As there is no dog laAv in St. Mary, the tribe does not diminish. " I found a portion of the tribe of Chippewas encamped at the lower end of the rapids, just above the village. Barbier says they live here entirely on Whitefish, which they take with the spear and dip-net. The latter resembles the common dip-net we have seen used at Fairmount dam on the Schuyl- kill ; the handle, though, is longer, and is bent near the bow of the net — I have seen the Indians take Whitefish with it. They go in their birch canoes to the foot of the rapid, two in a boat ; the one in the bow, who generally has an old coat or blanket tied in front like an apron, to keep off the spray, holds the net ; the other in the stern, by the ready use of his paddle or pole, keeps the head of the cockle-shell in its proper direction, while his companion in the bow finds the fish, and by dexterously casting his net over the prey, gives it a turn sideways and secures it. The net appeared always to be pressed downwards, as if the fish was forced towards the bottom, and then turned apparently to prevent its escape ; and I suppose this is why the handle has that peculiar bend near the bow. These Whitefish are as large as Shad, and are 538 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. delicious, resembling the Shad somewhat in flavor, but not so bony. I have seen the Indians take twenty or thirty in an hour ; sometimes two at a single dip of the net. " Soon after my arrival at St. Mary, I made the acquaint- ance of Louie Leponts, a half-beed Indian, in a long sv/allow- tailed blue coat, who I found was addicted to whipping his wife, getting drunk, and going a fishing. I profited by Louie's acquaintance, and engaged him and his brother as my ' voy- ageurs,' in going up and down the rapids on my fishing excursions. The ascent and descent of the Sault is no child's play ; nothing but long practice, a quick eye, great skill in the use of the paddle and pole, and steadiness of nerve can accomplish it. " On my first day's fishing, Louie held a pole of fifteen feet, with which he did great execution, catching two to my one. He is as good a specimen of a natural angler as I ever met with ; and, considering his rough tackle, casts a large fly (and none other should be used here) with considerable skill. The fly, which he made himself, was on a rough Kirby hook, size 00; a piece of red flannel tied around the shank, and a tuft of feathers bunglingly fastened at the head. On our second trip I was lucky enough to break the small end of his rod in getting into the canoe, thus monoplizing the sport ; and in our excursions afterwards prevailed on him to leave it behind. I also fished the Little Falls, two or three miles down the river, near the Methodist Mission, and had great sport, my largest fish weighing about three pounds, and most of them were from fourteen to sixteen inches in length. My first trip up and down the Sault produced thirty-five fish. On the second day I had more sport, catching them mostly with the fly, but when they would not rise, used an artificial minnow, or the 'Kill-devil,' or a strip of the belly of the fish. After- DIES PISCATORI^. 539 wards, I got the knack of steadying myself in the canoe, when casting, and used the fly altogether. " There is a long narrow island on the Canadian side of the river, and between it and the shore a narrow channel, which, I am told, can be waded in most places, and that it affords fine fishing. If the water had not been so cold I would have tried, it. "In going up and down the rapids I found that Louie's brother had good reason for taking his net and spear along. In our first ascent he caught three Whitefish in his net, at a single dip ; he also speared several, besides a large goggle- eyed Pickerel. He did not throw his spear when in the rapid water, but moved the iron cautiously towards the fish, and then with a thrust pinned it to the bottom, when the ashen handle would quiver and shake with the death -struggle of the victim and the force of the current. He frequently tried to point out a fish to me before he speared it, but it was no use ; I could not see it through the rushing water. " In the rapids the canoe was at all times under perfect control. In ascending, advantage was always taken of any eddy formed below a ledge, or a large rock that jutted above, or came near the surface, the light bark was pushed along the still water, and then turned quickly into the sharp cur- rent at the side of the rock, when there would be a fierce struggle, the water foaming and boiling almost over the bow as it was forced up the declivity. Sometimes the delicate ribs of the canoe would bend as the thin sides were com- pressed in passing between rocks where it would have been impossible for an ordinary boat to get through, or where its stiff planks would have been broken. What was most aston- ishing, though, was the way that Auguste alone would hold the canoe steady with his setting-pole, when we stopped to fish, the bow always dividing the current equally, and neve veering in the least to one side or the other. 540 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. " I spent one Sabbatli at the Sault, and attended worshi;) at the old stockade fort in the morning, and in the afternoon visited the Methodist Mission at the Little Falls, two or three miles below, and met the man ' Tanner,' who was captured by the Indians when a boy, and who spent thirty years of his life amongst them. He acts as interpreter for the Mission. " I returned from the Sault in one of those ancient crafts called a 'Mackinaw boat,' paying five dollars passage, with the privilege of rowing as much as I pleased. Our journey occupied two days ; the first night we camped in a swampy place, when we were almost devoured by mosquitoes ; the second night we slept on a rocky point, extending far out into the lake, where we had a good breeze, and were not troubled with them. There was a beautifii^ little island right in front of us, with a few trees on it, and as the sun went down I thought of the picture of the Prison of Chillon, which you gave me, and of Byron's lines, alluding to its inmate, who, when at last allowed to climb to the grated window, describes what he saw : — "And then there was a little isle, Which in my very face did smile, The only one in vieAV ; A small green isle, it seem'd no more. Scarce broader than my dungeon floor. But in it there were three tall trees, And o'er it blew the mountain breeze, And by it, there were waters flowing. And on it, there were young flowers growing Of gentle breath and hue.'' Nor. (folding up the letter.) I'll stop now, ISTestor. You would never die happy if you did not cram a few rhymes into your narratives ; besides, we have got past the fishing, and I have no further interest in your lengthy " billy-doo." DIES PISCATORI^.. 541 Nes. If you profess to love angling for its associations, and cannot appreciate such rhymes as those, I give you up ; there are some lines on the back of that old letter that don't rhyme. I copied them from Hiawatha when I first read the book. Lake Superior, you know, was the '' Gitchie-Gumee" of the Ojibwas, or, as they are called now, Chippewas, and according to their wild tradition, the Eed S^van, after it was wounded by the magic arrow of Ojibwa, went slowly flapping its wings across its broad surface towards the setting sun : you had better not read the extract though, after saying, as you did the other day, that " Hiawatha'' had the same jingle as the "Kio^o'er Gin'ral." Nor. I did not mean to disparage Longfellow, by com- paring his " Hiawatha" with the " Nigger Gin'ral," I only implied that they were both of the same metre, and very " particular metre" it is. I'll give you a few lines of the "Nigger Gin'ral," as Old Dick Cooper used to sing it, and you can judge for yourself. I leave out the chorus, and as I have no banjo, the accompaniment also. '■ Now, my boys, I'm bound to tell you, 0 listen a while and I will tell you ; I'll tell you 'bout de Nigger Gin'ral, I'll tell YOU 'bout de Gin'ral Gable. A leetle boy betrayed his gin'ral, A leetle boy, by de name o' Dan'el ; Betrayed him down to Norfo'k landin', Becase he called him Uncle Gable, " ' 0 how dy do, my Uucle Gable ?' ' 0 no I ain't your Uncle Gable !' ' 0 yes you is my Uncle Gable.' ' 0 no I aint your Uncle Gable, For I do know your Uncle Gable, A man belong to Major Prosser.' " 542 AMERICAN ANGLER'S ROOIv Now I call that hexameter in tlie rough, and taking it all through, it is pretty good legendary poetry, to boot. Nes. Your taste in such matters, my dear boy, betrays your "bringing up;" but it seems to me, that a man who spends much of his time on lake or river, and allows the '^ particular metre," as you call it, and the repetitions in '' Hiawatha" to prejudice him against the book, comes short of a full appreciation of camping out, or cooking his dinner on the stream. Nor. Now you are a beautiful specimen of a star- struck fisherman, with your hair poking through the crown of that old hat, and that terrible rent in your trousers ; how you would captivate your wife, and the ladies in general. But let me give you the concluding lines of the drama, as well as I can recollect them, and then if you can see no similarity between the "Song of Hiawatha," and the *' Song of the Nigger Gin'ral," I'll consent to a truce between Longfellow and Dick Cooper. See now, how harmoniously the descriptive blends with the dramatic. " Thursday week come on his trial, Ho my "boys you most done. [But I forgot, I did not mean to put in the chorus.) " Dey sont an called all de county, To come and see de Nigger Gin'ral ; Some dey called him Archy Mullin, — Right name was John de Cullin. I'm here to-day and gone to-morrow, I didn't come to stay forever. " Dey drove him down to de gallus, Drove him down wid fo' gray bosses ; Diggs's Ben he druv de wagon. Dar dey hung him and dey swung him, An dat's de end of de Nigger Gin'ral. DIES PISCATORI^ 543 " Hard times in Old Virginny, Ole Virginny almost ruined, Ruined by de Nigger Gin'ral. " Polly what you got for supper ; Mutton shank and apple dumplins, Good enuf for hi'erd niggas/' MoKRY. Very dramatic indeed — the last three lines par- ticularly so — but tell me, were Gin'ral Gable and Nat Turner the same or different persons ? Nor. Different — Gabriel was the chief of an early and much better-planned insurrection : Nat Turner headed the last outbreak of the negroes in lower Virginia. It is said, that both of them were fellows of great aptitude as leaders, and had they made their escape by an underground railroad and lived to the present time, you and your friends would no doubt have made them captains in the Corps d'Afrique. MoR. Perhaps if your friend Dick Cooper was alive, since you have such an opinion of his talents, you would use your influence to have him appointed leader of a regimental band in the Corps d'Afrique, and introduce the banjo as an instru- ment of martial music. Nor. Dick was not a scientific musician, tune and harmony with him were intuitive ; to have taught him music from a book would have cramped his genius, and to write his songs on paper would have spoiled them ; as any true and natural negro music will be spoiled by trying to adapt it to the taste of those who generally attend the concerts of what are called '•' negro minstrels." If you had asked him if he played by note, he would likely have replied, as a black fiddler of celebrity once did at a dance in Kentucky, " No Sir, I plays by de night." — But what have we here ? It fell from one of the pockets of your fly-book, as I was about to replace 544 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK your letter; it is a sketcli of some old fisherman — who is it? Nes. Why that's " Uncle Lot," a m3rsterious old fellow, who haunted the Williwemock and Beaverkill, about Chester Darby's, for many years. Nobody knew where he came from, and, I am told, he at last disappeared, and nobody knew where he went to ; the people of the neighborhood called him, The Fish-Hawk. FOURTH NOONING. TROUT-FISHINa IN THE ADIRONDACKS. 35 "The sounding cataract Hannted him like a passion : the tall rock, The mountain, and the deep and gloomy w'ooass- ing. 01' course he could not be idle, and t'ln- want of a better subject procttrcd the blacksmith's bov. as he allerwards told me f\>r the sun\ of one dime ; the lad's face is a receipt for the amount ot' happiness so large a sum of money can create. Mr. Baker told me there was fine tly-tishing in the rapids in front of his house in June, though Martin's is more con- venient to the anoler. and all those who take boats and jiuides for the lakes and Raquette River, embark at his hou.se. I/>g-'V: ...;^ ,. „. _, ^^ ,r^ ^ , ,•; fbr oa the Saranae. M«t 3P>w, bfef« Toinr iitnoeeat hexnl BfE ICanm Haw a 5« big 3k« a watar^^ir*: «^* ^at: anri in. it * ponath — and a -tr^^re or v/r^j ^ji r ♦^amect irnry 3K5 an gwi«^' '.'■• "' ' ' • ^ akimofft ' "' "• «i«T xuift tr - tliat : fisr hemsu giKas: de^'-iwatier a«ui a ^fKs^i ij-5*fer. aiui atlw^j^t aaa Teiii*5fiL and Tprjwt f -^ae trip wisai one wio IiIk*. Triiea. lie lead's v^wtl -sg >ea.-7*i "S^wn i: &r "SLe i^araciac "-r =»> ^^ssfc- - ^ .-.--•"-'■ ■ - ' ^ - '2m^^ .^^ .^z. Mks-tir: tteT^ond: I ia^*r s#a3L meiL ^tmrjattk: at i^ lisnntn^ ttjsl tfeir V>as& wkeL msBtan^ sir tne xoiier SaEsidg 554 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK camp out for weeks. Many of these are people who live in luxury at home, who have become weaiy of Newport, Sara- toga, and Nahant, and come out " to rough it." Some " satisfy the sentiment" in a single trip, others repeat the excursion year after year, until the men become passable woodsmen, and the women right good squaws. Nor. Fishing and philandering, I think, are very opposite amusements. I don't like to mix thoin ; and meeting any num- ber of town folks amongst such places and scenes as I have heard Waller describe, would seem to me like an untimed intrusion. Nes. I think it rather adds to the charm when one can take his wife and children on such an excursion ; that is if he DIESPISCATORIiE. 55i is not so ardent a sportsman that it interferes with his hunting and fishing. Still, I confess, I was somewhat shocked at times to find the Adirondacks so hackneyed ; the " carries" from one lake to another, as you go from Martin's to the Ra- quette are well-worn roads, and at two of them there are wagons to convey canoes and baggage across. The little out- let of Stony Creek Pond which flows into the Raquette, and the Raquette itself, are so much travelled in the month of August as to suggest the idea of "the raging canawl." I recollect on one occasion, after Walter and I had been fore- stalled at several good fly-casts by some rough bait-fishers bound for the Raquette, that we came to the mouth of Am- phusand Brook, and thought we would have a good, quiet, lonely time. Our guides put our boats within easy cast of the best places, the Trout were dimpling the water all around, and we had made a few successful casts, " when faint from further distance borne, was heard the clang" — of something like a canal tin horn, and looking up towards the head of Stony Creek Pond, a boat rounded the point, a flag flying at the bow, and two red-shirted '"Bowery-boy" looking fellows in the middle of it, approached us flourishing an empty bottle, and singing Old Dan Tucker. — " Oh solitude, where are thy charms ?" exclaimed Walter mournfully, winding up his line, while I sat down as Major Jack Dade of Virginia says, " in the most pi-ignant grief." We gave up fishing and went back to Stephen Martin's, where we had engaged lodgings for the night. Joe. I have heard that hunting is as great an inducement to go to the Adirondacks as fishing. Nes. It is with most persons ; a friend who encamped for nearly a month on Wolf Pond, beyond the Raquette, last September, had a fresh deer hanging before his tent-door every day. If a person has a guide who is a good hunter. 556 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK and dogs to drive them into lake or river, it requires very little skill on his part to get venison ; and a man who is a very poor shot will sometimes start from Martin's and return in a few days with two or three deer, for when they are driven into into the water, there is very little chance of their escape, if the hunter is watching near the place where they go in ; or in '' shining" them either, for the guide silently paddles you up almost close enough to catch the victim by the tail ; and then there is some chance of shooting the guide, or the dog, or yourself in the excitement of the hioment, or the guide has to knock the deer on the head with a club, if you don't kill him. When Martin wants venison, he sends any of the guides who may be lounging about the house off on a drive. Here is a rough copy of one of my artist's sketches. Joe. Of course there are anglers who are not less verdant than the hunters ? Nes. Anglers! — hand me that ale, I'm dry, talking so much — Why it does not require angling to catch Lake Trout, for in trolling the guide rows you over the fish, and when one lays hold you must reel him in and take him off as a matter of course. If you fish the rapids when the Brook DIES PTSCATORI^. 557 Trout are there, or stop at the mouths of some of the cool brooks, where they collect as the summer advances, you have only to throw your flies over them, and there is no preventing their hitching on, and then a man who catches a basket full may be an angler, or a mere fisherman. Joe. Why what difference can there be between an angler and a fisherman ? Nes. Difference ! That is exactly the question somebody once asked Dr. Bethune. The Doctor was buying some tackle at *Conroy's, when one of his friends dropped in. " What, are you a fisherman ?" said the good man, in surprise. ''No, I am an angler," replied the Doctor. "Well, what is the difference ?" asked the querist. The Doctor referred him to Mr. Conroy (so goes the story) for an explanation. "Why," said the great tackleman, delicately lifting between his thumb and forefinger the two dollar note that the Doctor had laid on the counter, and dropping it into the till, as if it would contaminate him — " An angler. Sir, uses the finest tackle, and catches his fish scientifically — Trout for instance — with the artificial fly, and he is mostly a quiet, well-behaved gentle- man. A fisherman. Sir, uses any kind of 'ooks and lines, and catches them any way, so he gets them it's all one to 'im, and he is generally a noisy fellah, Sir, something like a gunner." The man smiled, and looked at the Doctor inquir- ingly, to see if he endorsed the distinction drawn by Mr. Conroy. The Doctor, it is said, nodded his head affirmatively, pocketed his tackle, and laughing, walked out of the store. So you see I have the authority of two very distinguished gentlemen for the difference I claim between an angler and a fisherman. Joe. Speaking of distinguished gentlemen, who is Mr. Jack Dade that talks about "pi-ignant grief?" Is he. the man who inquired "who is the Mary McDan'el that the minister alluded to so often in his sermon?" 658 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK Nes. The same, thoagh a very different kind of person from the one you may have in your mind's eye ; besides, he is not " Mister," he is Major Jack Dade. He is or was, for I don't know that he is alive now, one of "the first gentlemen of Vir- ginia, sir" ; a relic of that ancient order who were the last to leave off blue coat, buff waistcoat, and drab trousers ; who were "aufaW^ in politics and card-playing, bacon, mutton, Madeira, and old whiskey ; and could tell you the pedigree of every race-horse between tide- water and Blue Eidge ; besides being pretty well satisfied with their own pedigree. Jack was one of them ; but with all his early advantages, as his father used to say of him, "he couldn't take laming ^ Major Dade was a captain at the battle of Bladensburg, " sir." General Winder sent him with his company through an extensive cornfield to reconnoitre the British brig Vulture, then lying in the Potomac, and he would have made a successful recon- noissance if it had not been for the panic which seized his militia. In telling the story. Major Jack says they thought they heard the British troops stealing upon them, when it was only the north-west wind rustling the dry tops of the " haun,'''' and, as a matter of course, when they ran, he had to follow them, "sir." The major is opposed to all kinds of inno- vations, especially improved farming and imported cattle. He condemns short horns and Berkshire hogs, affirming posi- tively that there is no bacon so good as that made from an old-fashioned " fiddle-faced hog." Nor. I think I saw him once at the town of Warrenton, and that he came with Charley Kandolph, another old relic, in a coach and four ; though, by the b v, the coach, which was a little the worse for wear, had but three horses to it, and there was a calf- skin stretched across the back of the coach (the tail hanging down) to keep out the weather. The old gen- tleman struck me as being fond of a noise, for I never saw a DIES PISCATORIJE. 559 man crack a whip like him, or respond as loudly in charcli. What story was that Sam Chilton told us of Jack Dade, inter- rupting Charley at his morning devotions ? Nes. Sam was always telling stories about somebody. I suppose you refer to what occurred once when Jack stayed at Charley's all night. The host next morning, like a good churchman, was reading prayers to the collected household, and Jack, who got up a little too late, entered the dining- room without noticing the devotional attitude of the family, but seeing the bunch of mint, the sugar-bowl, and decanter set out as usual, made a straight line for the sideboard. When Charley, seeing his mistake, raised his eyes from the book and said, ''Hold on, Jack, I'll join you presently." The ser- vice over, the julep followed as a matter of course. Nor. Speaking of Sam Chilton, your continual digressions remind me of a reply he made to a speech of Henry A. Wise, at a Virginia State Convention, some years ago. In debating some question. Wise sat down after a fiery speech, in which there was a great deal of declamation, and very little logic. Sam rose, and taking an old quid from his mouth, and dropping it softly on the floor, said he had asked Mr. Wise for argument, and he gave him only words ; for facts, and he had given him declamation. The gentleman's speech reminded him of Falstafif's tavern-bill, " Sack, five shillings and sixpence ; bread, a half-penny." I have asked you to tell us about fish- ing in the Adirondacks, but you have told us very little about it, and talked of almost anything else. What was the greatest number and weight of fish you killed in a day ? Nes. You led me into this digression yourself, by your confounded questions. I have already said that I was there at an unfavorable time for fishing. Trolling in the lakes is over by the middle of June, and the Brook Trout have gene- rally left the rapids by that time. I have been told, though. 560 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK that thirty pounds have been taken by a single rod in the rapids od the Raquettc in a forenoon in the latter part of May, and as much as fifty pounds in the outlet of the Lower Saranac, where Eodgers and Cold Brook come in. Joe. What was the size of the largest you killed ? Nes. I did not take any that exceeded a pound and a half. The largest I caught were at the mouths of Rodgers and Cold Brook, where they come into the outlet. Our friend H. K. B. killed fish a few days after at the mouths of some spring brooks that come into the Eaquette, below Fish Hawk and Setting-Pole Eapi^ls, that weighed over two pounds. He was not as successful at the mouth of Bog River, which tumbles in at the upper end of Tupper's Lake, where he had such fine sport five or six years ago ; but that was in September, when the Trout collect again in the rapids, after having deserted them during the heat of summer. There were several parties encamped at Tupper's Lake in the early part of last June, and those who fished with the fly had fine sport at Bog River Falls, while those who trolled, took Lake Trout as large as ten and twelve pounds. Joe. How do you get into the Raquette River from Mar- tins? Nes. Hand me that pocket-map, and I'll show you. You see there are three lakes, they are all connected by a stream of moderate size ; the eastern is the Lower Saranac, the south- ern. Round Lake, and the western, the Upper Saranac. You observe, also, that there are three ponds still further west ; these are the Stony Creek Ponds, and from one of them a small stream of the same name flows, with gentle current, into the Raquette. The first portage or " carry" is at the upper end of the Lower Saranac, about six miles from Martin's ; the next at the outlet of the Upper Saranac, three or four miles further on ; and the last is between the western side of the DIES PISCATORI^. 561 Upper Saranac and one of the Stony Creek Ponds. The last portage is about three-quarters of a mile, and is called the Indian Carry. The Saint Eegis tribe used it a great deal some years back. When you get there, you have come about fifteen miles, and if you prefer sleeping under a roof, and getting a good supper, you will stop at Stephen Martin's. Bartlett keeps a house for the accommodation of sportsmen at the second carry, where there is good fly-fishing in the ra|)ids of the outlet, and below his house, until the 1st of July. You get into the Raquette, as I have already told, by way of Stony Creek Ponds, and the outlet called Stony Brook. There is fine fly-fishing at the mouth of Amphusand Brook, which comes into the lower pond, within a stone's throw of where the outlet runs from it. Some years back H. K. B. killed a Trout of four pounds in Stony Brook, but when I Y/as there the boats of excursionists bound to or from the Raquette, passing so frequently, had scared all the fish out of it, or made them too shy to rise in the few pools you pass by. When you emerge into the Raquette you are twenty miles from William Martin's. The Raquette is a quiet, dark river, with a gentle current and but few rapids. It heads in the lakes of Hamilton County, and flows north into the St. Lawrence, above Lake St. Francis. It is about fifteen miles from the entrance of Stony Creek to Tupper's Lake, which connects with the river by a wide, deep outlet. If you are not prepared to camp oat, you can find accommodations at Stetson's, on the Raquette, about two miles this side of the lake. Tupper's Lake is a beautiful sheet of water with pretty islands, but you have not the splendid view of the sharp peaks of the Adirondacks, which you get from almost any part of the Lower Saranac, for you have passed to the west, and beyond that range of mountains. 36 562 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. This region of country is much frequented by artists, and some fine pictures of real and supposed scenes in the Adiron- dacks have been painted. On my return home, I had the agreeable company, for the greater part of the way, of our young sculptor friend Q. W. and his wife. They had gone in from Crown Point, and came down Long Lake and the Raqu^tte to Stony Brook, and then by way of the Saranacs to Martin's; loitering on the way, the trip occupying about ten days. Joe. Are there any other fish of the Salmon family in the Adirondacks besides Lake and Brook Trout ? Nes. There is a species of Ooregonus, or Whitefish, in the Saranacs, similar to those known as Lake Herring in the larger lakes. I did not see any of them, but was told that their average size is not over eight inches, which is even smaller than the Laverett and Grwynaid taken in the lakes of Scot- land. They do not rise at a fly, however, or take a bait. When we made the short portage on the stream connecting the Lower Saranac with Eound Lake, my guide pointed out an eddy below the rapid, where, he said, he has taken five or six barrels of them in a few days, with a "lift-net," when they collect there to spawn, which is in November. They are sent to market frozen, and are highly esteemed for their delicate flavor. I have never heard of these fish being taken in the lakes of Hamilton County, or in those that connect with the Kaquette. Nor. I thought all the fish of the Salmon family would take a bait or rise at a fly. Nes. By no means ; you confound the family Salmonidde with the genus Salmo. The Salmon is the type of the family as well as the genus. All that belong to the genus Salmo arc voracious fish; but the genus known as Ooregonus, which DIES PISCATORI^.. 563 embraces all the Whitelish — large and small — and of which this little fish is a species, are not predatory ; they are peace- able dwellers in the deeps of the lakes, except in the month of November, when they come into the rapids to spawn. Great numbers of them are no doubt devoured in the lakes by the large Lake Trout. Joe. Why did you not take a tent and camp out, instead of sleeping under-roof, after leaving Martins ? Nes. As Walter was lame it was more convenient to sleep on beds, and unless these are buggy, as they frequently are in the houses of the settlers, I prefer sleeping in-doors. It is always necessary to camp out, when you wish to enjoy all the advantages of a favorite hunting-station, and then it is well to be provided with a mosquito-net if you go before August; after that time you are not annoyed with black flies, and there are then but few mosquitos. Joe. So you think camping out is not so much a matter of comfort as of sentiment, as you call it ! Nes. It is like angling — with some persons a mere matter of fancy. Washington Irving, in one of his sketches, describes a fishing party, which included himself; these gentlemen thought they were in love with angling, from reading Isaac Walton, forgetting that like "reading and writing," as Dog- berry says, it " comes by nature.'' They provided themselves with Trout-rods, reels, artificial flies, &c., and started. After poking through the bushes and floundering along a rough little mountain stream all day, and damaging their fine tackle without catching any fish, and having ''satisfied the senti- ment," they met with a country lad, his trousers rolled up, an alder-pole with its rough horsehair line in one hand, and in the other a handsome string of Trout. Joe. ''Some men are born great" — there are natural 664 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. anglers and natural hunters ; but " what boots it," who have we here, sitting on a stump ? Nes. That is a natural hunter, my young guide, Eeuben Reynolds, watching for deer. FLY-FISHING ALONE. " To him who in the love of nature holds Communion with her visible forms, she speaks A various language ; for his gayer hours, She has a voice of gladness, and a smile, And eloquence of beauty, and she glides Into his darker musings, with a mild And healing sympathy, that steals away Their sharpness ere he is aware." Brtant. FLY-FISHING ALONE. With many persons fishing is a mere recreation, a pleasant way of killing time. To the true angler, however, the sensation it produces is a deep unspoken joy, born of a long- ing for that which is quiet and peaceful, and fostered by an inbred love of communing with nature, as he walks through grassy meads, or listens to the music of the mountain torrent. This is why he loves occasionally — whatever may be his social propensity in-doors — to shun the habitations and usual haunts of men, and wander alone by the stream, casting his flies over its bright waters : or in his lone canoe to skim the unruffled surface of the inland lake, where no sound comes to his ear but the wild, flute-like cry of the loon, and where no human form is seen but his own, mirrored in the glassy water. No wonder, then, that the fly-fisher loves at times to take a day, all by himself; for his very loneliness begets a comfort- able feeling of independence and leisure, and a quiet assur- ance of resources within himself to meet all difficulties that may arise. As he takes a near cut to the stream, along some blind road or cattle-path, he hears the wood-robin with its "to-wh^," calling to its mate in the thicket, where itself was fledged the summer before. When he stops to rest at the " wind clear- ing," he recalls the traditionary stories told by the old lum- bermen, of the Indians who occupied the country when their grandfathers moved out to the " back settlements," and, as he (567) 5f)8 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. ruminates on the extinction, or silent removal of these child- ren of the forest, he may think of the simple eloquent words of the chief to his companions, the last he uttered : " I will die, and you will go home to yonr people, and, as you go along, you will see the flowers, and hear the birds sing ; but Pushmuttaha will see them and hear them no more ; and when you come to your people they will say, 'Where is Push- muttaha?' and you will say, 'He is dead:' then will your words come upon them, like the falling of the great oak in the stillness of the woods^ As he resumes his Walk and crosses the little brook that "goes singing by," he remembers what he has read of the Turks, who built their bowers by the falling water, that they might be lulled by its music, as they smoked and dreamed of Paradise. But when the hoarse roar of the creek, where it surges against the base of the crag it has washed for ages, strikes his ear, or he hears it brawling over the big stones, his step quickens, and his pulse beats louder — he is no true angler if it does not — and he is not content until he gets a glimpse of its bright rushing waters at the foot of the hill. Come forth, my little rod — '' a better never did itself support upon" an angler s arm, — and let us rig up here on this pebbly shore! The rings are in a line, and now with this bit of waxed silk we take a few hitches backward and forward over the little wire loops which point in opposite directions at the ends of the ferules, to keep the joints from coming apart ; for it would be no joke to throw the upper part of the rod out of the butt ferule, and have it sailing down some strong rift. The reel is on underneath, and not on top, as those Bass- fishers have it, who are always talking of Fire Island, New- port, and Narragansett Bay. What shall my whip be ? The water is full, I'll try a red hackle, its tail tipped with gold tinsel ; for my dropper, I'll DIES PISCATORliE. 569 put on a good sized coachman with lead-colored wings, and as soon as I get a few handsful of grass, to throw in the bottom of my creel, I'll button on my landing-net and cross over, with the help of this stick of drift-wood, for it is pretty strong wading just here. Do you see that rift, and the flat rock at the lower end of it which just comes above the sur- face of the water, and divides the stream as it rushes into the pool below ? There's fishing in rift and pool both ; so I'll begin at the top of the rift, if I can get through these alders. Go in, my little rod, point foremost ; I would not break that tip at this time to save the hair on my head; — hold! that twig has caught my dropper — easy, now, — all clear — throngh the bushes at last. When I was here last July, and fished the pool below, there was no rift above, the water hardly came above my ankles; now it is knee-deep ; if there was less it would be better for the pool ; but it makes two casts now, where there was only one last summer, and I have no doubt there is a pretty fellow by the margin of the strong water, on this side of the rock, — an easy cast, too, — just about eight yards from the end of my tip. Not there — a little nearer the rock. What a swirl ! He did not show more than his back ; but he has my hackle. I had to strike him, too, for he took it under water like a bait — they will do so when the stream is full. Get out of that cur- rent, my hearty, and don't be flouncing on top, but keep un- derneath, and deport yourself like an honest, fair fighter ! There you are, now, in slack water ; you can't last long, tug- ging at this rate ; so come along, to my landing-net : it's no use shaking your head at me ! What a shame to thrust my thumb under that rosy gill ! but there is no help for it, for you might give me the slip as I take the hook out of your mouth, and thrust you, tail-foremost, into the hole of my creel. You are my first fish, and you know you are my luck ; so I 670 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK, would not lose you even if you were a little fellow of seven inches, instead of a good half-pound. I imbibed that super- stition, not to throw away my first fish, when I was a boy, and have never got rid of it. Now, tumble about as much as you please ; you have the whole basket to yourself. Another cast — there ought to be more fish there. He rose short, — a little longer line — three feet more will do it — ex- actly so. Gently, my nine-incher ! Take the spring of the rod for a minute or so — here you are ! Once more, now. How the '• young 'un" jumps ! I'll throw it to him until he learns to catch ; there, he has it. No use reeling in a chap of your size, but come along, hand-over-hand ; I'll release you. Gro, now, and don't rise at a fly again until you are over nine inches. Not a fly on the water ! So I have nothing to imitate, even if imitation were necessary. Take care ! that loose stone almost threw me. I'll work my way across the current, and get under the lee of that boulder, and try each side of the rift where it runs into the pool below the flat rock. Not a fish in the slack water on this side ; they are looking for grub and larvae in the rift. Now, how would you like my coach- man, by way of a change of diet ? There's a chance for you — try it. Bosh ! he missed it ; but he is not pricked. Once more. Oh, ho ! is it there you are, my beauty ? Don't tear that dropper off. Hold him tight, O'Shaughnessy ; you are the greatest hook ever invented. How he runs the line out, and plays off into the swift water ! It would be rash to check him now ; but I'll give him a few feet, and edge him over to the side of the rift where there is slack water. That's bet- ter ; now tug away, while I recover some of my line. You are off into the current again, arc you? but not so wicked. The click on this reel is too weak, by half — he gives in now, and is coming along, like an amiable, docile fish, as he DIES PISCATORIJ?. 571 is. Whiz! why, what's the matter, now? Has "the devil kicked him on end ?" as my friend with the " tarry breeks" has it. He has taken but two or three yards of line, though. How he hugs the bottom, and keeps the main channel ! Well, he can't last much longer. Here he comes now, with a heavy drag, and a distressing strain on my middle joint ; and now I see him dimly, as I get him into the eddy; but there's something tugging at the tail -fly. Yes, I have a brace of them, and that accounts for the last dash, and the stubborn groping for the bottom. What a clever way of trolling ! to get an obliging Trout to take your dropper, and go sailing around with four feet of gut, and a handsome stretcher at the end of it, setting all the fish in the pool crazy, until some un- lucky fellow hooks himself in the side of his mouth. How shall I get the pair into my basket ? There is no way but reeling close up, and getting the lower one into my net first, and then with another dip to secure the fish on the dropper ; but it must be done gently. So — well done ; three-quarters of a pound to be credited to the dropper, and a half-pound to the stretcher — total, one pound and a quarter. That will do for the present. So I'll sit down on that flat rock and light my d'adeen, and try the remainder of the water presently. I'll not compromise for less than four half-pound fish before I leave the pool. These are some of the incidents that the lone fly-fisher experiences on a favorable day, and the dreams and anticipa- tions he has indulged in through the long gloomy winter are in part realized. ''Eeal joy," some one has said, is "a serious thing," and the solitary angler proves it conclusively to him- self. He is not troubled that some ardent young brother of the rod may fish ahead of him, and disturb the water without availing himself of all the chances ; or that a more discreet companion may pass by some of the pools and rifts without 72 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. bestowing the attention on them they deserve ; but in perfect quietude, and confidence in his ability to meet every contin- gency that may occur, he patiently and leisurely tries all the places that ofifer fair. What if he does get hung up in a projecting branch of some old elm, that leans over the water? he does not swear and jerk his line away, and leave his flies dangling there — it is a difficulty that will bring into play his ingenuity, and perhaps his dexterity in climbing, and he sets about recovering his flies with the same patient steadiness of purpose that Caesar did in building his bridge, or that possessed Bonaparte in crossing the Alps, and feels as much satisfaction as either of those great generals, in accomplish- ing his ends. If he takes "an extraordinary risk," as underwriters call it, in casting under boughs that hang within a few feet of the water, on the opposite side of some unwadeable rift or pool, and his stretcher should fasten itself in a tough twig, or his dropper grasp the stem of an obstinate leaf, he does not give it up in despair, or, consoling himself with the idea that he has plenty of flies and leaders in his book, pull away and leave his pet spinner and some favorite hackle to hang there as a memento of his temerity in casting so near the bushes. Far from it ; he draws sufficient line off* his reel and through the rings to give slack enough to lay his rod down, marking well where his flies have caught, and finds some place above or below where he can cross; then by twisting with a forked stick, or drawing in the limb with a hooked one, he releases his leader, and throws it clear off into the water, that he may regain it when he returns to his rod, and reels in his line ; or he cuts it off* and lays it carefully in his fly-book, and then recrosses the river. A fig for the clearing-ring and rod-scythe and all such cockney contrivances, he never cumbers his pockets with them. Suppose he does break his rod — he sits DIES PISCATORIyE. 578 patiently down and splices it. If the fracture is a compound one, and it would shorten the piece too much to splice it, he resorts to a sailor's device, and fishes the stick, by binding a couple of flat pieces of hard wood on each side. Captain Marryatt, in one of his books, says, a man's whole lifetime is spent in getting into scrapes and getting out of them. This is very much the case with the fly-fisher, and he should always curb any feeling of haste or undue excitement, remembering at such times, that if he loses his temper he is apt to lose his fish, and sometimes his tackle also. My neighbor asked me once if Trout- fishing was not a very unhealthy amusement — he thought a man must frequently have damp feet. Well, it is, I answered ; but if he gets wet up to his middle at the outset, and has reasonable luck, there is no healthier recreation. But I have sat here long enough. I'll fill my pipe again and try the head of that swift water — If this confounded war lasts a year longer " Lynchburg" will go up to three dollars a pound, but it will be cheap then compared with those soaked and drugged segars that are imposed upon us for the "Simon- Pure," under so many cap- tivating names. At all events this is what it professes to be, good homely tobac Whe-e-euh ! What a dash ! and how strong and steady he pulls ; some old fellow " with moss on his back," from under that log, no doubt of it. Is it line you want ? — take it, eight — ten — fifteen feet — but no more if you please. How he keeps the middle of the rift ! Don't tell me about the ''grace of the curve," and all that sort of thing; if the bend of this rod isn't the line of beauty I never saw it before, except of course in the outline of a woman's drapery. Speaking of lines, I'll get a little of this in as I lead the fellow down stream, even at the risk of disturbing the swim below. It is the best plan with a large fish ; I have Sir Humphrey Davy's authority for it, although I believe with Fisher, of the 574 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK " Angler's Souvenir," that lie was more of a philosopher than an angler. Talk of "dressing for dinner," when the fish are rising ! Steady and slow, my boy, you are giving in at last — two pounds and a half or not an ounce ! now I see you " as through a glass, darkly" — a little nearer, my beauty — Bah ! what a fool I am ! here a fish of a half-pound has hooked himself amidship, and of course offering five times the resist- ance he would if fairly hooked in the mouth, and no damage to his breathing apparatus while fighting, either; for he keeps his wind all the while. If he had been regularly harnessed, he could not have pulled with more advantage to himself and greater danger to my tackle in this rough water. I thought I had been deceived in this way often enough to know when a fish was hooked foul. Now I call it strong wading coming down through that dark ravine ; I must take a rest and put on a fresh dropper. And so my friend asked me if it was not very lonesome, fish- ing by myself. Why these little people of the woods are much better company than folks who continually bore you with the weather, and the state of their stomachs or livers, and what they ate for breakfast, or the price of gold, or the stock-market, when you have forgotten whether you have a liver or not, and don't care the toss of a penny what the price of gold is; or whether "Beading" is up or down. Lonesome ! — It was only just now the red squirrel came down the limb of that birch, whisking his bushy tail, and chattering almost in my face. The mink, as he snuffed the fish-tainted air from my old creel, came out from his hole amongst the rocks and ran along within a few feet of me. Did he take my old coat to be a part of this rock, covered with lichens and gray mosses ? I recollect once in the dim twilight of evening, a doe with her fawns came down to the stream to drink ; T had the wind of her, and could see into DIES PISCATORIi^i:. 57'] her great motherly eyes as she raised her head. A moment since the noisy king-fisher poised himself on the dead branch of the hemlock, over my left shoulder, as if he would peep into the hole of my fish-basket. The little warbler sang in the alders close by my old felt hat, as if he would burst his swelling throat with his loud glad song. Did either of them know that I am of a race whose first impulse is to throw a stone or shoot a gun at them? And the sparrow-hawk on that leafless spray extending over the water, sitting there as grave and dignified as a bank president when you ask him for a discount ; is he aware that I can tap him on the head with the tip of my rod ? — These are some of the simple incidents on the stream, which afterwards awakeL. memories, " That like voices from afar off Call to us to pause and listen ; Speak in tones so plain and childlike, That the ear can scarce distinguish Whether they are sung or spoken." But I must start for the open water below — What a glo- rious haze there is just now, and how demurely the world's great eye peeps through it ! Trout are not very shy though, before the middle of May, even when the sun is bright. I have sometimes taken my best fish at high noon, at this season of the year. — I am as hungry as a horsefly, though it is only " a wee short hour ayont the twal." So I'll unsling my creel by that big sycamore, and build my fire in the hollow of it. If I burn it down there will be no action for trespass in a wooden country like this. What boys are those crossing the foot-log? I'll press them into my service for awhile, and make them bring wood for my fire. I know them now ; the larger one has cause to remember me "with tears of gratitude," for I bestowed 576 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK on him last summer a score of old flies, a used-up leader, and a limp old rod. He offered me the liberal sum of two sliilliiigs for the very implement I have in my hand now; and to buy three flies from me at four cents apiece. — Halloo, Paul ! what have you done with the rod I gave you — caught many Trout with it this season ? Come over the creek, you and your brother, and get me some dry wood, and gather a handful or two of the furze from that old birch to light it with. I'll give you a pair of flies — real gay ones. Dining alone may be counted almost the only drawback to one's taking a day to himself, and you are glad of any stray native who is attracted by the smoke of your fire. Your whiskey is beyond a peradventure, better than he has in his cupboard at home ; he is invariably out of tobacco — a chew or a pipeful, and a swig at your flask, will make him communi- cative. If he has not already dined, he will readily accept a roasted Trout and a piece of bread and butter, and while eat- ing will post you as to all the Trout-streams within ten miles. ^ It is, therefore, a matter of policy to cultivate the good feeling of the natives, the boys especially, as stones are of very convenient size along the creek to throw at a surly fisherman. A few of "Conroy's journal -flies," which have DIBSPISCATORI.E. 577 occupied the back leaves of your fiy-book for long years are profitable things to invest in this way, for three boys out of four you meet with, will ask you to sell them "a pair of fly- hooks," which of course results in your giving them a brace or so that are a little the worse for wear, or too gay for your own use. If the fly-fisher, though, would have " society where none intrudes," or society that ivonH intrude, let him take a lad of ten or twelve along to carry his dinner, and to relieve him after the roast, by transferring part of the contents of his creel to the empty dinner-basket. The garrulity and queer questions of a country boy of this age are amusing, when you are disposed to talk. Any person who has sojourned at my friend Jim Henry's, and had his good-natured untiring boy Luther for his giUy, will acknowledge the advantage of such a "tail " even if it has not as many joints as a Highland laird's. If there is an objection to a Trout-roast, it is that a man eats too much, and feels lazy after dinner. But what of that ? it is a luxurious indolence, without care for the morrow — Care ! why, he left that at home when he bought his railroad ticket, and shook oft' the dust of the city from his hob- nailed boots. What pretty bright Trout there are in this bold rocky creek ! it would be called a river in England, and so it is. We Americans have an ugly way of calling every stream not a hundred yards wide, a creek. It is all well enough when the name is applied to some still sedgy water, which loses half of its depth, and three-fourths of its width, at low tide, and is bank-full on the flood. But speckled fellows like these don't live there. De Kay must have received some inspiration at a Trout-roast, when he gave them the specific name of ''Fontinalis," and they are truly the Salmon of the fountain; for a stream like this and its little tributaries, S7 578 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. whose founiaius are everywhere amongst these rugged hills, are their proper home. What an ignorant fellow Poietes was to ask Halieus if the red spots on a Trout were not "marks of disease — a hectic kind of beauty?" Any boy along the creek knows better. And what a pedantic old theorist Sir Humphrey was, to tell him that the absence of these spots was a sign of high condition. Well, it may be in England, for the river Trout there, are a different species from ours. But I'll bet my old rod against a bob-fly that there is twice as much pluck and dash in our little fellow\s with the "hectic" spots. I don't wonder that Trout like these so inspired Mr. Barnwell, who wrote the "Game Fish of the North," when, with his fancy in high feather, he mounted his Pegasus and went off — "How splendid is the sport to deftly throw the long line and small fly, wdth the pliant single-handed rod, and with eye and nerve on the strain, to watch the loveliest darling of the wave, the spotted naiad, dart from her mossy bed, leap high into the air, carrying the strange deception in her mouth, and, turning in her flight, plunge back to her crystal home." Julius Caesar! what "high-flying" Trout this gentleman must have met with in his time. Now, I never saw a Trout "dart from her mossy bed," because I never found Trout to lie on a bed of that sort ; nor " leap high into the air, and turning in her flight plunge back," as a fish-ha,wk does. In fact, I may safely say I never saw a Trout soai^ more than eight or ten inches above its "crystal home." I honor " Barnwell" for the Anglomania which has seized him — he has been inoculated with a good scab, aud the virus has pene- trated his system : but I can't help being reminded by his description, of the eloquence of a member of a country debating society in Kentucky, who commenced — "Happiness, Mr. President, is like a crow situated on some far-distant LIES PISCATORl^. 579 Tiiountain, which the eager sportsman endeavors in vain to no purpose to reproach." And concluded — "The poor man, Mr. President, reclines beneath the shade of some wide- spreading and umbrageous tree, and calling his wife and the rest of his little children around him, bids their thoughts inspire to scenes beyond the skies. He views Neptune, Plato, Venus, and Jupiter, the Lost Pleides, the Auroly Bolyallis, and other fixed stars, which it was the lot of the immorral Newton first to depreciate and then to deplore." But a gray-headed man who cannot tie a decent knot in his casting-line without the aid of his spectacles, should forget such nonsense. There is one consolation, however, that this "decay of natur," which brings with it the necessity for glasses in seeing small objects within arm's length, gives in like ratio, the power of seeing one's flies at a distance on the water ; there was old Uncle Peter Stewart who could knock a pheasant's head off at fifty yards with his rifle, and see a gnat across the Beaverkill, when he was past sixty. Here is the sun shining as bright now as if he had not blinked at noon, and such weather, not too hot and not too cold ; I must acknowledge, though, my teeth did chatter this morninff Avhen I waded across at the ford. 'ti " Sweet day., so cool, so calm, so bright, The bridal of the earth and sky ; The dew shall weep thy fall to night, For thou must die." I'll start in here, for it appears there is always luck in the pool or rift under the lee of the smoke where one cooks his Trout. It is strange, too, for it seems natural that the smoke would drive the flies away, and as a consequence the fish get out of the notion of rising. But no matter, here goes. Just as I supposed, and a brace of them at the first cast. Come 580 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK, ashore on the sloping gravel, my lively little fellows, — eight and nine inches — the very size for the pan ; but who wants to eat fried Trout after cooking them unrler the ashes or on a forked stick ? There are no good fish here ; the water is not much more than knee-deep; and they have no harbor amongst those small pebble -stones. I have thrown in a dozen little felloAvs within the last ten minutes. I'll go to the tail of that strong rift below the saw-mill. The last time I fished it was when that lean hungry-looking Scotchman came over here from Jim Henry's; he had been sneaking through the bushes and poaching all the little brooks around, where the fish had run up to spawn, with his confounded worm-bait. This stream was low then and the fish shy ; I had approached the end of the rift carefully and was trying to raise them at long cast in the deep water, when he — without even saying " by your leave" — waded in within a few yards of where they were rising, and splashed his buck-shot sinker and wad of worms right amongst them. I said nothing, and he did not appear to think that interfering with my sport so rudely was any breach of good manners, or of the rules of fair fishing. A Scotch- man, to catch Trout with a worm! Poor fellow ! his piscator}^ education must have been neglected, or he belonged to that school who brag only on numbers. I know a party of that sort who come up here every summer from Easton and bring a sauer-kraut stanner to pack their Trout in, and salt down all they take without eating one, until they get home They catch all they can and keep all they catch, great and small. Bah ! a poor little salted Trout — it tastes more like n piece of "yaller soap" than a fish. Such fishermen are but one remove from the bark peelers I found snaring and netting- Trout in the still water below here, last August. I can just see their shanty from here. " Instruments of cruelty are in their DIES PISCATORI^. 681 liabitations. 0 my soul, come not thou into their secret ; unto their assembly, mine honor, be not thou united !" There is the sawyer's clog ; if he comes much nearer I'll psychologize him with one of these " dunnicks" ! But he turns tail as soon as I stoop to pick one up. Now for it — just at the end of the swift water — ah ! my beauty — fifteen inches, by all that is lovely ! He threw his whole length out of water — try it again — I can't raise him. This won't do. Am I cold, or am I nervous, that I should shake like a palsied old man because I missed that fish ? Fie on you, Mr. Nestor, you who have run the rapids at the "Eough Waters" on the Nipissiguit, in a birch canoe, with a Salmon at the end of sixty yards of line, and your pipe in your mouth; I thought you had gotten past a weakness of this kind. But it will only make bad worse, and convince that Trout of the cheat to throw over him again ; so I must leave him now, and get back to the log on that sunny bank and compose myself with a few whiffs, while I change my flies. It will be just fifteen minutes until I knock the ashes out of my pipe ; by that time m.y vaulting friend wall likely forget the counterfeit I tried to impose on him, if I oflPer him something else. Now Dick gave me this for a meershaum, and I have no doubt Mr. Doll sold it for one in good faith ; but it is a very " pale complected" pipe for one of that family. I have smoked it steadily for a year, and there is only the slightest possible tinge of orange about the root of the stem. It is hardly as dark as this ginger hackle in my hat-band. However, it is light, and carries a big charge for a pipe of its size, and the shortness of the stem brings the smoke so comfortably under the nose — a great desideratum in the open air. The pipe must have been instituted expressly for the fisherman ; it is company when he is lonesome, and never talks when he wants to be quiet ; it concentrates his ideas and assists his judgment 582 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK when lie discusses any important matter with himself, such as the selection of a killing stretcher. No wonder the Indians smoked at their council-fires; and, as for the nerves, I'll put it against Mrs. Winslow's soothing sja^up. What a pity it is that infants are not taught to smoke ! What shall my stretcher be ; that fish refused Hofland's Fancy ; now let me try one of my own fancy. Here is something a great deal prettier ; a purple body in place of a snuff-brown, and light wings from a lead-colored pigeon instead of a sober woodcock feather. What a pretty fly — lialf sad, half gay in its attire, like an interesting young widow, when she decides on shed- ding her weeds, and " begins to take notice." I'll change my dropper also — here it is; body of copper-colored peacock hurl, wings of the feather of an old brown hen, mottled with yellow specks. What a plain homely look it has ; it reminds me of ''the Girl with the Calico Dress." You are not as showy, my dear miss, as the charming little widow, but certain indi- viduals of my acquaintance are quite conscious of your worth. Let me see which of you will prove most attractive to my speckled friend. So here goes — two to one on the widow — lost, by jingo! He looked at her and sailed slowly away. Has he ever heard of the warning that the sage Mr. Weller gave his son "Samivel?" Perhaps, then, he will take a notion to "the girl with the calico dress." Once more — now do take care ! Ah ha ! my old boy, you would be indiscreet, after all, and the widow has victimized you. Now she'll lead you a dance ! Don't be travelling off with her as if you were on your wedding tour, for I know you would like to get rid of her already; but there is no divorce beneath the water, — you are mine, says she, " until death us do part !" There you are, now ! the three-minutes' fight has completely taken the wind out of you. That's the last flap of your tail ; the widow has killed you "as dead as a mackerel." Acting DIES PISCATORIiE. 583 tlie gay Lothario, were you ? I know some scaly old fellows who play the same game ashore, stealthily patronizing Mrs. Allen, subsidizing the tailor, bootmaker, dentist, and barber, and slyly endeavoring to take off a discount of twenty-live per cent, from old Father Time's bill. But that won't do, for folks of any discernment know at a glance those spavined, short-winded, shaky old fellows, who trot themselves out, as if they were done-up for the horse-market. Lie there, my Turveydrop, until I move down a little, and try under the bushes, on the opposite side. With this length of line I can just come close enough to the alders to miss them. Dance lightly, 0 my brown girl, and follow in her wake, dear widow, as T draw you hither- ward. Ah, ha ! and so it is ; there is one dashing fellow who sees charms in your homely dress. How he vaults ! — nine rails, and a top rail ! Did you ever know Turner Ashby ? Not Beau Turner — I mean Black Turner. Did he ever strad- dle a bit of horse-flesh with more mettle ? None of your Conestogas. There he goes again ! How long have you be- longed to the circus ? But he can't run all day at that gait ; he begins to flag, at last, and here he is now, coming in on the " quarter stretch." There you are, at last — died as game as a Dominica chicken. Once more, now. I knew it. — And again. Three times my brace of beauties have come tripping home across the deep whirling rapid, and three bright Trout lie on the gravel behind me. I begin at last to long for the sound of some friendly voice, and the sight of a good-humored face. I must keep my appointment with Walter at the foot-bridge ; so I am off. Some of the '• Houseless" don't like this solitary sport. I know one of them who would as soon be guilty of drinking alone ; but Ae is not a contemplative angler, and has never realized how hungry some folks get through the winter 584 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. for a little fishing. May-be he has never read what William Howitt says, in his " Eural Life in England," abont fishing alone. It will come home to every quiet fly-fisher. See what an unveiling of the heart it is, when the angler is alone with God and Nature. " People that have not been innoculated with the true spirit may wonder at the infatuation of anglers — but true anglers leave them very contentedly to their wondering, and follow their diversions with a keen delight. Many old men there are of this class that have in them a world of science — not science of the book, or of regular tuition, but the science of actual experience. Science that lives, and will die with them ; except it be dropped out piecemeal, and with the gravity be- coming its importance, to some young neophyte who has won their good graces by his devotion to their beloved craft. All the mysteries of times and seasons, of baits, flies of every shape and hue ; worms, gentles, beetles, compositions, or sub- stances found by proof to possess singular charms. These are a possession which they hold with pride, and do not hold in vain. After a close day in the shop or factory, what a luxury is a fine summer evening to one of these men, follow- ing some rapid stream, or seated on a green bank, deep in grass and flowers, pulling out the spotted Trout, or resolutely but subtilely bringing some huge Pike or fair Grayling from its lurking place beneath the broad stump and spreading boughs of the alder. Or a day, a summer's day, to such a man, by the Dove or the Wye, amid the pleasant Derbyshire hills ; by Yorkshire or Northumbrian stream ; by Trent or Tweed ; or the banks of Yarrow ; by Teith or Leven, with the glorious hills and heaths of Scotland around him. AVhy, such a day to such a man, has in it a life and spirit of ewjoy ■ ment to which the feelings of cities and palaces are dim. The heart of such a man — the power and passion of deep felicity DIES PISCATORI^. 585 that come breathing from mountains and moorlands ; from clouds that sail above, and storms blustering and growling in the wind ; from all the mighty magnificence, the solitude and antiquity of Nature upon him — Ebenezer Elliott only can un- fold. The weight of the poor man's life — the cares of pov- erty— the striving of huge cities, visit him as he sits by the beautiful stream — beautiful as a dream of eternity, and trans- lucent as the everlasting canopy of heaven above him ; — they come, but he casts them off for the time, with the power of one who feels himself strong in the kindred spirit of all things around ; strong in the knowledge that he is a man ; an im- mortal— a child and pupil in the world-school of the Almighty. For that day he is more than a king — he has the heart of hu- manity, and faith and spirit of a saint. It is not the rod and line that floats before him — it is not the flowing water, or the captured prey that he perceives in those moments of admis- sion to the heart of nature, so much as the law of the testi- mony of love and goodness written on everything around him with the pencil of Divine beauty. He is no longer the wearied and oppressed — the trodden and despised — walking in threadbare garments amid men, who scarcely deign to look upon him as a brother man — but he is reassured and recog- nised to himself in his own soul, as one of those puzzling, aspiring, and mysterious existences for whom all this splen- did world was built, and for whom eternity opens its expect- ing gates. These are magnificent speculations for a poor, angling carpenter or weaver ; but Ebenezer Elliott can tell us that they are his legitimate thoughts, when he can break for an instant the bonds of his toiling age, and escape to the open fields. Let us leave him dipping his line in the waters of refreshing thought." Thus writes William Howitt. But there is the foot-bridge, and here aie my little friends, the Sand-pipers. How often 586 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. the flj-fislier sees them running along the pebbly margin of the Trout stream (as A¥ilson truly says), " continually nod- ding their heads ;" sometimes starting with their peculiar short shrill note, from their nests in the wave-washed tufts of long grass, flapping along the creek sideways, as if wounded in leg or wing, to decoy the fancied destroyer from the nest of downy little snipelings. And there, where the waters of the noisy rapid finds rest in the broad shallow below, is one perched on a big gray boulder, as gray as her- self. How lonely she seems there, like the last of her race, were it not that her constant mate is on the strand below, busily engaged picking up larva and seedling muscles for its little ones in the nest up the creek. THE ANGLERS SABBATH, "The first men that our Saviuiir dear Did Choose to wait upon Him here Blest fishers were, and fish the last Food was that He on earth did taste; I therefore strive to follow those, Whom He to follow Him hath chose.' Walton. THE ANGLER'S SABBATH. How peacefully the Sabbath dawns on the weary angler ! Whether he is sojourning within sound of the hoarse break- ers, or amongst the mountains of a rugged Trout country. If at some ocean watering-place, after his refreshing bath in the surf, and his breakfast, if there be no place of public worship near, he whiles away the day as he best can. Strolling along the sea-shore, picking up smooth-worn shells and bright pebbles, and scaring the little snipe that follow the retreating- rollers to catch the marine insects they leave, or ply their spindle-shanks shoreward, as they are chased up the beach by the incoming surf. Or he walks along the bay-shore, flushing the curlew and willet, and startling the colonies of busy little fiddler crabs on the muddy flats, each one appa- rently shouldering its big hind-leg, as it scrambles away to its smoothly-burrowed hole. If in a Trout country, the day is ushered in with the sing- ing of birds, and God's blessed sunshine lighting up the sides of the hills, and pervading his heart. If he rises late, it is because he is stiff from wading the rough stream the day before ; perhaps he has a few bruises on his shins, but a good breakfast and a little exercise after it, supple his joints and rejuvenate him. The creels have been washed, and hang against the sunny side of the house, and the rods rest in the outer angle of the chimney, or on wooden pegs along the sides of the porch. The sight of the biggest Trout at break- (589) 590 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. fiast acts as a reminder of some of the ludicrous misliaps uf yesterday, and good-natured repartee and jest give a zest to the meal. Some remember the commandment — " In it thou shalt not do any work," and get ready to go to meeting with the hostess or the girls ; while others take a quiet stroll through the woods, or along the stream, and see sights and hear sounds that come back to them at times, amid the busy hum of the dense city, like ''far-off murmurs, gentle whispers." But the girls are waiting, dressed in their Sunday gear. You would scarcely know Kate for the naked-ankled lass you saw milking as you came in last evening ; and there is Hans and his dog "Watch," all ready to start. There is no chancelled or steepled church here, so we walk a mile or two down the creek to the township school-house, where sturdy farmers, gaunt raftsmen, staid matrons, and "unco lads and clever hizzies" sit waiting in silence the coming of the circuit preacher. All is peace within ; the only thing that betokens discord without, is a disposition of "Watch," and Captain Ellis's dog " Top," to renew an ancient feud, which might involve "Caesar," who stands by with tail erect, bristling in armed neutrality, but ready to take sides with the party that proves strongest : this of course would wake up the pugnacity of a pompous little fellow with his tail curled over his back so stiffly that his hind feet scarcely touch the ground ; even the "bench-legged fice," and the sheep-stealing -looking "yaller dog," with his bushy associate, who has been curtailed of his " fair proportions" so close to his hurdies, that it is difficult to say whether it has been "cut off or druv in;" the lap- eared hound would also pitch in, and there would be no preventing a free fight. But Hans calls Watch off, and as he slinks under the bench by his side, the casus belli is removed. DIES PISCATORI^. 591 ' Let us follow Watch, and enter the log school-house. How the primitive institoot brings back recollections of the time when we walked two or three miles to an old field-school, and carried our dinners in a basket ! Its very smell is familiar ; the long slab benches, just such as we used to polish with our corduroy trousers, and carve the initials of our sweet- hearts' and our own name on ; the wooden pegs like those we hung our hats and bonnets on ; the teacher's desk, and the long low windows, of the same pattern they were forty years ago ; and there is the old ten-plate wood-stove standing in the middle of the floor, with its side-doors off the hinges, so like the one we used to toast our bread or fry our bacon on, at playtime, and, when the master was not looking, spit against during school-hours, to see it dance and sizzle. Let us read the maker's name on the side-plate — " Keuben Trexler — Mary Ann Furnace.'' What an affectionate way those old iron- masters had, of naming their furnaces after their wives or some favorite daughter ! I never read any other than a feminine name on a ten-plate stove. I don't believe there ever Avas a male furnace, at least there were none when I was a boy ; but there was " Eebecca Furnace," or " Mary Ann Furnace," or "Maria Furnace," or "Isabella Furnace," or " Sarah Ann Furnace." It was always some dear woman's name that appeared on the hard black side-plates. What delays the preacher? he is fifteen minutes behind time ! Perhaps his horse is grass-fed, and he remembers on this warm June morning, that " the merciful man is merciful to his beast," and rides slowly ; or the fair sisters at old brother Ezra's, where he stayed all night, twelve miles away, have been a little sweet on the young preacher, and he sat longer over his coffee than usual. The company are getting restless; there is a frequent "ahem !" from the^women, and the little boys are munching maple-sugar, or indulging 592 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. ia a sly game of heads and points with crooked pins, to while away the time. But Captain ElliS; appreciating this state of " public feeling," like a considerate brother, strikes up — with only a slight nasal twang in his big manly voice — that grand old hymn, " When all thy mercies, 0 my God, My rising soul surveys, Transported with the view I'm lost In wonder, love, and praise." All join in, and, as the hymn closes, the minister enters. The gospel of peace and salvation is preached, and we say amen to the closing prayer, that it may accomplish that '' whereunto it is sent." The service over, there is kindly greeting of neighbors ; perhaps some talk about " craps" and lumber, and then the homeward walk. After dinner and a nap, we take a walk to the falls, or the pigeon-roost ; and on our return, as we come down the creek, we see the diverging circles dimpling the still pools as the Trout quietly rise and take in the little yellow ephemera that fly over us, and settle on the water. In the evening one of the brethren reads from his pocket edition of Walton, the discourse on thankfulness, delivered by Father " Izaak," to his friend Yenator, as he was journey- ing towards Tottenham High-Cross ; which we here insert for the perusal of all anglers, who " Remember to keep the Sabbath day holy." " Well, Scholar, having now taught you to paint your rod, and we having still a mile to Tottenham High-Cross, I will, as we walk towards it, in the cool shade of this sweet honey- suckle hedge, mention to you some of the thoughts and joys DIES PISCATORI^. 593 tliat have possessed my soul since we two met together. And these thoughts shall be told you, that you also may join with me in thankfulness to the Griver of every good and perfect gift for our happiness. And, that our present happiness may appear to be the greater, and we the more thankful for it, I will beg you to consider with me, how many do, even at this very time, lie under the torment of the stone, the gout, and toothache ; and this we are free from. And every misery that I miss is a new mercy ; and therefore let us be thankful. There have been, since we met, others that have met disasters of broken limbs ; some have been blasted ; others thunder- strucken ; and we have been freed from these, and all those many miseries that threaten human nature : let us therefore rejoice and be thankful. Nay, which is a far greater mercy, we are free from the unsupportable burthen of an accusing tormenting conscience, a misery that none can bear; and therefore let us praise Him for his preventing grace ; and say, Every misery that I miss is a new mercy. Nay, let me tell you, there be many that have forty times our estates, that would give the greatest part of it to be healthful and cheerful like us ; who, with the expense of a little money, have ate and drank, and laughed, and angled, and sung, and slept securely ; and rose next day, and cast away care, and sung, and laughed, and angled again ; which are blessings rich men cannot purchase with all their money. Let me tell you. Scholar, I have a rich neighbor, that is always so busy that he has no leisure to laugh ; the whole business of his life is to get money, and more money, that he may still get more and more money ; he is still drudging on, and says, that Solomon says, 'The diligent hand maketh rich ;' and it is true indeed : but he considers not that it is not in the power of riches to make a man happy ; for it was wisely said, by a man of great observation, ' That there be 38 594 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK as many miseries beyond riches, as on this side them :' and yet God deliver us from pinching poverty ; and grant, that having a competency, we may be content and thankful. Let not us repine, or so much as think the gifts of Grod unequally dealt, if we see another abound with riches ; when, as God knows, the cares, that are the keys that keep those riches, hang often so heavily at the rich man's girdle, that they clog him with weary days and restless nights, even when others sleep quietly. We see but the outside of the rich man's happiness ; few consider him to be like the silkworm, that, when she seems to play, is, at the very same time, spinning her own bowels, and consuming herself. And this many rich men do ; loading themselves with corroding cares, to keep what they have, probably, unconscionably got. Let us, therefore, be thankful for health and a competence, and above all, for a quiet conscience. '•' Let me tell you. Scholar, that Diogenes walked on a day, with a friend, to see a country fair ; where he saw ribbons, and looking-glasses, and nut-crackers, and fiddles, and hobby- horses, and many other gimcracks ; and having observed them, and all the other finnimbruns that make a complete country fair ; he said to his friend, ' Lord, how many things are there in this world of which Diogenes hath no need!' And truly it is so, or might be so, with very many who vex and toil themselves to get what they have no need of. Can any man charge God, that he hath not given him enough to make his life happy ? No, doubtless ; for nature is content with a little : and yet you shall hardly meet with a man that complains not of some want ; though he, indeed, wants nothing but his will, it may be nothing but his will of his poor neighbor, for not worshipping, or not flattering him : and thus, when we might be happy and quiet, we create trouble to ourselves. I have heard of a man that was ano-ry DIES PISCATORIiE. 595 with himself because he was no taller, and of a woman that broke her looking-glass because it would not show her face to be as youDg and handsome as her next neighbor's was. And I knew another, to whom God had given health and plenty, but a wife that nature had made peevish, and her husband's riches had made purse-proud, and must, because she was rich, and for no other virtue, sit in the highest pew in the church ; which being denied her, she engaged her husband into a contention for it, and at last into a lawsuit with a dogged neighbor, who was as rich as be, and had a wife as peevish and purse-proud as the other : and this law- suit begot higher oppositions, and actionable words, and more vexations and lawsuits ; for you must remember that both were rich, aud must therefore have their wills. Well, this wilful purse-proud lawsuit lasted during the life of the first husband : after which his wife vexed and chid, and chid and vexed, till she also chid and vexed herself into her grave : and so the wealth of these poor rich people was curst into a punishment, because they wanted meek and thankful hearts ; for those only can make us happy. I knew a man that had health and riches, and several houses, all beautiful and ready furnished, and would often trouble himself and family to be removing from one house to another ; and being asked by a friend, why he removed so often from one house to another, replied, 'It was to find content in some of them.' But his friend, knowing his temper, told him, if he would find content in any of his houses, he must leave himself behind him : for content will never dwell but in a meek and quiet soul. And this may appear, if we read and consider what our Saviour says in St. Matthew's Grospel ; for he there says, — ' Blessed be the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed be the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed be the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 596 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. And, Blessed be the meek, for they shall possess the earth.' Not that the meek shall not also obtain mercy, and see God, and be comforted, and at last come to the kingdom of heaven ; but in the mean time he, and he only, possesses the earth as he goes toward that kingdom of heaven, by being humble and cheerful, and content with what his good God has allotted him: he has no turbulent, repining, vexatious thoughts that he deserves better ; nor is vexed when he sees others possessed of more honor or more riches than his wise God has allotted for his share ; but he possesses what he has with a meek and contented quietness, such a quietness as makes his very dreams pleasing both to God and himself. "My honest Scholar, all this is told to incline you to thankfulness : and to incline you the more, let me tell you, that though the prophet David was guilty of murder and adultery, and many other of the more deadly sins ; yet he was said to be a man after God's own heart, because he abounded more with thankfulness than any other that is mentioned in holy Scripture, as may appear in his book of Psalms ; where there is such a commixture of his confessing of his sins and unworthiness, and such thankfulness for God's pardon and mercies, as did make him to be accounted, even by God himself, to be a man after his own heart. And let us. in that, labor to be as like him as we can : let not the blessings w e receive daily from God, make us not to value, or not praise him, because they be common ; let not us forget to praise him for the innocent mirth and pleasure we have met with since we have met together. What would a blind man give to see the pleasant rivers, and meadows, and flowers, and fountains, that we have met with since we met together ? I have been told, that if a man, that was born blind, could obtain to have his sight, for but only one hour during his whole life, and should, at the first opening of his DIES PISCATORI^ 597 eyes, fix his sight upon the sun when it was in his full glory, either at the rising or setting of it, he would be so transported and amazed, and so admire the glory of it, that he would not willingly turn his eyes from that first ravishing object, to behold all the other various beauties this world could present to him. And this, and many other like blessings, we enjoy daily ; and for most of them, because they be so common, most men forget to pay their praises : but let not us ; because it is a sacrifice so pleasing to him that made that sun and us, and still protects us, and gives us flowers, and showers, and stomachs, and meat, and content, and leisure to go a fishing. '' Well, Scholar, I have almost tired myself, and, I fear, more than almost tired you: but I dow see Tottenham High- Cross ; and our short walk thither shall put a period to my too long discourse ; in which my meaning was, and is, to plant that in your mind, with which I labor to possess my own soul ; that is, a meek and thankful heart. And, to that end, I have showed you that riches without them do not make any man happy. But let me tell you, that riches with them remove many fears and cares ; and therefore my advice is, that you endeavor to be honestly rich, or contentedly poor : but be sure that your riches be justly got, or you spoil all. For it is well said by Caussin, ' he that loses his con- science, has nothing left that is worth keeping.' Therefore be sure you look to that. And, in the next place, look to your health : and if you have it, praise God, and value it next to a good conscience ; for health is the second blessing that we mortals are capable of, a blessing that money cannot buy ; and therefore value it, and be thankful for it. As for money, which may be said to be the third blessing, neglect it not : but note, that there is no necessity of being rich ; for I told you, there be as many miseries beyond riches, as on this side them : and, if you have a competence, enjov it with a 598 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. meek, cheerful, thankful heart. I will tell you, Scholar, I have heard a grave divine say, that Grod has two dwellings, one in heaven, and the other in a meek and thankful heart. Which Almighty God grant to me and to my honest Scholar; and so you are welcome to Tottenham High- Cross." * * * " 'Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord:' and let the blessing of St. Peter's Master be- with mine. " And upon all that are lovers of virtue ; and dare trust in his Providence, and be quiet, and go a-angling." May no true angler forget to praise God for his blessings "because they are so common;" for "it is a sacrifice so pleasing to him, who made the sun and us, and still protects us, and gives us flowers, and showers, and stomachs, and m.eat, and content, and leisure to go a-fishing." ^'^■%; CONCLUSION. 599 CONCLUSION. One who has had the patience to read the foregoing pages consecutively through, has no doubt observed, that in several instances I have repeated in a special way, much in word or substance that I had said in a preceding chapter, or in a general way. As an example, I have had occasion to refer to the manner of propagation with fishes in no less than four distinct articles ; either of which would have been incomplete, or lacking the interest it was entitled to, had I omitted to do so. Again, there are certain sporting or rather angling terms which I have unavoidably reiterated. — I hope the reader will not regard such repetitions as blunders, for I am deeply conscious that in this my first and likely my last attempt at writing for publication, there are enough real sins of omis- sion and commission in my compositions to answer for ; even after adopting the hints and suggestions of the friend with whom I have read the proof-sheets. Readers are not generally aware of the obligations we authors are under to honest, careful proof-readers, and how much bad grammar, bad spelling, and imperfect composition would be inflicted on them, were our productions sent forth without being cauterized and plastered by them. I am indebted to the firm who stereotyped these pages, not only for their aid in this respect, but for the tasteful and judicious arrangement of the book. The junior member of the firm (being one of our craft) has taken an especial interest in the respectability of its appearance. In fact his solicitude on this score has even been exhibited at times in an unamiable manner. For instance, in reading some of the earlier proof- sheets, he would abruptly ask me, how many times in a single 600 - AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK chapter I intended to accuse the City Gas- Works of having spoiled the fishing in the Schuylkill ? or, how many friends I had on whose statements I could rely ? or how many times in my article on Fly-Fishing, I intended to use the term " spring of the rod," on a single page ? He has even been so regardless of my feelings, as to ridicule my drawing of the Black Bass, on page 103, saying, that he always felt an inclination to stick a " quid" in its mouth ; and laughed outright, when I tried to explain that the expression of that feature was intended to make the fish look gay. — I hope the reader will regard my deficiencies as artist or author with more leniency. If I have at times laid down rules at variance with the practice of experienced anglers, I would suggest, that there may be more than one process of accomplishing the same thing. With a certain class of fishers it may be, that The very head and front of my offending Hath this extent, no more — that I have in as strong language as I could decorously use, condemned unfair and unsportsmanlike angling, and held up to scorn the mere Pot-fisher and Snob. If such be the case I am content. "It is a very pretty quarrel as it stands," but to every Honest Anglek — whether a fly-fisher or a bait- fisher, adept, or struggling with adverse circumstances in his efforts to reach the higher branches of the art, I tender my sincerest sympathies. And now, dear Reader, may you by keeping a conscience void of offence, keep at peace with yourself and The Author. INDEX. Abloden grunniens, 122. Alosa praestibilus, 171. Anglers' Sabbath, 589. Angler, What and who is an angler ? 29. The Fussy Angler, 30. The Snob Angler, 30. The Greedy Pushing Angler, 30. The Spick and Span Angler, 30. The Rough and Ready Angler. 30. The Literary Angler, 30. The Pretentious Angler, 31. The Shad-roe Fisherman, 31. The English Admiral an Angler. 33. Angling, its harmonizing influences. 27. Recollections of, in boyhood, 28. Its aft'er influences on manhood, 29. Its social tendency, 29. Anguilla communis, 186. Aquarium, 483. Artificial Fish- Breeding, 459, 464. Hatching Troughs, 468, 471. Expressing the Spawn, 469. Treatment of Fecundated Eggs, 475. Food for Young Trout, 479. 's.K'k's (jrayling, 259. Bait, Fishing for Trout. 272. Barb, or Kingfish, 286. Barthrolomoeus pampauus, 298. Bass. Black, of the Lakes, 103. Trolling for. 105. Fresh Water of the South and West, 99. Oswego, 110. Striped, or Roekfish, 110. Striped of the Ohio. 108. Short Striped, 109. White of the Lakes, 97. Blackfisb, 300. Bluefish, or Snapping Mackerel, 294. Bream, 118. Brook Trout, Scientific description, 194. Habits and manner of breeding, 195- Growth of, 196. Difference in the size of, 196. Effect of light and water on, 199, Errors in regard to new species, 19'J. Food of, 200. Geographic range of, 202. Large size of, 204. Former abundance and cause of de- crease, 202. Buffalo Fish, 156. Buffalo Perch, 122. Camping on the River, 368. Camp Equipage, 368. Cooking Utensils, 371. Clothing, 321. Stores for, 371. Canadian Trout, 238. Capeliu, 267. Carp Family, 153. Casting the fly — For Trout, 327. For Salmon, 356. Catfish and Eels, 177. Catfish, extract from Iconographic Ency clopaedia, 177. Catfish of Atlantic and Western States, 180. Care for the young, 182. Catostomus babulos, 155. " communis. 154. Clupeidae, 165. Chamberlain, John, 392. Chub, Errors in regard to size of, 167. An annoyance to Fly-Fishers, 158, Chub-Fishing on the Brandy wine, !.')!>. Umbrella invented by a Chub-fisher- man. 160. (601) 602 I X D E X , Cooking Fish. • See tlie conclusion of ar- ticle on each fish described. Cooking Salmon on the river, 372. To boil, 372. To broil, 372. Cold, 372. Soused, 373. To bake Grilse, 373. Cooking Trout on the stream, 497. Coregonus albus, 269. Corvina ocellata, 293. Croaker, 291. Cybium maculatum, 296. Cyprinidae, 153. Dies Piscatoria, 489. Houseless Anglers, 490. Introductory Remarks, 491. Noonday Roast, 497. First Nooning, 503. Second " 513. Third " 531. Fourth '* 547. Fly-Fishing alone, 567. The Anglers' Sabbath, 589. Conclusion, 599. Dramfish, 299, Eels, observations on, 183. The Lamprey, 183. The Electric, 184. The Common, 186. Bsox lucioides, 131. estor, 135. vittatus, 118. Fall fish, 157. Fish-Breeding, 460. Artificial, 464. Fish, Definition of, 39. General remarks on, 39. Origin and order in Creation, 40. Natural mode of propagation, 41. Habits as regards maternity, 43. Migration of, 45. Vitality of, 47. External organs of, 51. Internal organization of, 52. Travelling on land. 50. Mucous secretion on, its use, 54. Teeth of, 54. Fish-Ponds. Manner of stocking them by ova left in the soil, 48, 461. Flies for Trout, 312. • " " Salmon, 350. Flounder, 299. Fly-Making, 419. Implements for, 420. « Materials for, 421, 423. Making hackles, 429. Winged fl[ies, 434. Frost fish, 309. Gangs for trolling, 409. Gar fish, 128. Goody, 283. Great Lake Pickerel, 131. Great Lake Trout, 250. Manner of taking them, 251. Grilse, 229. Grystes salmoides, 99. " nigricans, 103. Gymnotidae, 184. Hans Breitmann's Barty, 527. Herring Family, remarks on, 155. Great abundance in United States, 170. Hooks, 64. Houseless Anglers, account of, 490. Ichthyology, 56. Iron-wood, 442. J^ackfish, 130. -Jack fishing in Eastern Virginia, 144. Kingfish, 286. Knots, 409. Labrax albidus, 97. Labrax lineatus, 81. Labrax pallidus, 90. Leaders, 69. Leiostomus obliquus, 289. Lesser Lake Trout, 255. Trolling for, 256. Leucosomus nothus, 157. Lines, 70, 312, 349. Long Beach, 278. Loops, 406. Lucioperca Americana, 120. Mallotus villosus, 267. Mascalonge, 135. Micropogou undulatus, 291. Mingan River, 386. Mirimichi, 388. Moisie River, 385. Fishing in, 384. Mosquitoes, protection against, 369. Mullet, 300. Muriienidae, 183. 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