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diff --git a/43797.txt b/43797.txt deleted file mode 100644 index b9a2ea0..0000000 --- a/43797.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4312 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Favorite Fish and Fishing, by James Alexander Henshall - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Favorite Fish and Fishing - -Author: James Alexander Henshall - -Release Date: September 23, 2013 [EBook #43797] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FAVORITE FISH AND FISHING *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Bergquist, Sandra Eder, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - -{~--- UTF-8 BOM ---~} -Transcriber's note: - -Italics is represented with _underscore_, small caps with ALL CAPS.. - -A list of corrections made can be found at the end of the text. - - - - - FAVORITE FISH AND FISHING - - - - -[Illustration: Grayling Fishing on West Fork of Madison River, Montana. - - _Frontispiece._ (_See page 43._)] - - - - - FAVORITE FISH - AND FISHING - - BY - JAMES A. HENSHALL, M.D. - - Author of "Book of the Black Bass," "Camping and Cruising in - Florida," "Ye Gods and Little Fishes," "Bass, - Pike, Perch and Others." - - "_And yf the angler take fysshe: surely thenne is there - noo man merier than he is in his spyryte._" - - --Dame Juliana Berners. - - NEW YORK - THE OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY - MCMVIII - - - - - Copyright, 1908, by - THE OUTING PUBLISHING COMPANY - - Entered at Stationers' Hall, London, England - _All Rights Reserved_ - - - - - To - THE MEMORY - of - JUDGE NICHOLAS LONGWORTH - - My Friend and Companion - On Many Outings by - FLOOD AND FIELD - - - - - ACKNOWLEDGMENTS - - -This book is based on articles originally published in _The Outing -Magazine_, _Country Life in America_, _Shooting and Fishing_, _London -Fishing Gazette_ and _The American Fishculturist_. My thanks and -acknowledgments are hereby tendered to the publishers of those journals -for permission to embody the articles in book form. For this purpose -they have been added to, amplified and extended. For the illustrations -of fishes I am indebted to the United States Bureau of Fisheries, Mr. -Sherman F. Denton and Dr. Frank M. Johnson. - - JAMES ALEXANDER HENSHALL. - BOZEMAN, Montana. - - - - - CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - THE BLACK BASS: THE GAME-FISH OF THE PEOPLE 3 - THE GRAYLING: THE FLOWER OF FISHES 43 - THE TROUT: THE ANGLER'S PRIDE 65 - HIS MAJESTY: THE SILVER KING 121 - FLORIDA FISH AND FISHING 141 - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - - Grayling Fishing on West Fork of Madison River, - Montana _Frontispiece_ - - FACING - PAGE - - Black Bass Returning to Water After Leaping 4 - Large Mouth Black Bass 8 - Small Mouth Black Bass 12 - Black Bass Returning to Water After Leap 32 - Michigan Grayling 46 - Arctic Grayling 50 - Montana Grayling 54 - English Grayling 60 - Brook Trout 66 - Red Throat, or Cut-Throat Trout 72 - Steelhead Trout 80 - Rainbow Trout 88 - Dolly Varden Trout 94 - Brown Trout 100 - Golden Trout of Volcano Creek 106 - Sunapee Trout 114 - Tarpon 128 - Sheepshead 142 - Cavalla 144 - Sea Trout 146 - Spanish Mackerel 148 - Kingfish 150 - Cero 150 - Redfish; Channel Bass 154 - Red Grouper 156 - Mangrove Snapper 158 - Ten Pounder 160 - Ladyfish 160 - Snook; Rovallia 164 - Jewfish 166 - Shark Sucker 168 - Enlarged View of Sucking Disk 168 - Florida Barracuda 172 - Northern Barracuda 172 - Manatee 176 - Devil Fish 178 - - - - - THE BLACK BASS: THE GAME FISH OF THE PEOPLE - - - - - Favorite Fish & Fishing - - - - - THE BLACK BASS: THE GAME FISH OF THE PEOPLE - - -[Sidenote: Parlous Times in Angling] - -These be parlous times in angling. When William King, in the seventeenth -century, with as much prophecy as humor, wrote: - - "His hook he baited with a dragon's tail - And sat upon a rock and bobbed for whale," - -he builded better than he knew. And if Job had lived in the twentieth -century, the query: "Canst thou draw out Leviathan with an hook?" would -be answered in the affirmative; also, it would be demonstrated that "He -maketh the deep to boil like a pot," at Fort Myers and Catalina. - -The shades of Walton and Cotton, of Sir Humphrey Davy and "Christopher -North," and of our own Dr. Bethune and Thaddeus Norris, could they -"revisit the glimpses of the moon," would view with wonder and silent -sorrow the tendency of many anglers of the present day toward -strenuosity, abandoning the verdure-clad stream, with its warbling -birds and fragrant blossoms, for the hissing steam launch and -vile-smelling motor boat in pursuit of leaping tuna and silver king. It -goes without saying, however, that considered as a sport, fishing for -these jumbos is highly exciting and capable of infusing unbounded -enthusiasm, but it can hardly be called angling. - -[Sidenote: The Ethics of Sport] - -In the ethics of sport it may be questioned -if there is not more real pleasure, and at the same time a -manifestation of a higher plane of sportsmanship, in the pursuit of -woodcock, snipe, quail or grouse with well-trained bird-dogs, than in -still-hunting moose, elk or deer. In the former case the bird is -flushed and given a chance for life, while in the latter case the -quarry is killed "as an ox goeth to the slaughter." - -[Illustration: Black Bass returning to water after leaping. (_See -page 15._)] - -So in fishing a like comparison is possible--fly-fishing for salmon, -black bass, trout, or grayling as against fishing for tarpon and tuna, -which are worthless when killed except as food for sharks. In the first -case the angler's skill, and his knowledge of its habits, are pitted -against the wiles of the fish, with but a weak and slender snell of -silkworm fiber between its capture or escape, while in the case of the -leviathans mentioned, they are handicapped by being hooked in the -gullet, and by towing a boat in their struggle for freedom. But -comparisons are always odious. While the choice between the "gentle" -art and strenuous fishing is certainly a question of taste, it may -depend somewhat on the length of one's purse. - -[Sidenote: Black Bass Fishing] - -Black-bass fishing! These are words to conjure with. What pleasurable -emotions they call up! To the superannuated angler the words are fraught -with retrospective reflections of the keenest enjoyment, while they -cause the soul of the new hand to become obsessed with pleasures yet to -come--pleasures rendered brighter by the rosy tint of anticipation. - -[Sidenote: The Love of Angling] - -With the first blossoms of spring the thoughts of many men, both old and -young, turn lightly to love--the love of angling. And as the leaves -unfold, and the birds begin their wooing, and the streams become clear, -the premonitory symptoms of the affection are manifested in a rummaging -of drawers and lockers for fly-books and tackle boxes, and the critical -examination of rods and reels, and in the testing of lines and leaders. -These preliminaries are the inevitable harbingers of the advent of the -angling season, when black bass are leaping gayly from the waters after -their enforced hibernation in the gloom and seclusion of the deep pools. - -And when the encroachment of age or rheumatism forbids wading the -stream, one can still sit in a boat on a quiet lake and enjoy to the -full the delight and fascination of "bass fishing." What farmer's boy -in the Middle West does not look forward to a Saturday when the ground -is too wet to plow or plant, when he can repair to the creek or pond -with his rude tackle and realize his fond dreams of fishing for black -bass! And when such a day arrives, as it is sure to do, how he hurries -through the chores, and with what sanguine hope he digs for angle-worms -in the garden, or nets crawfish or minnows in the brook, each one good -for at least one "sockdolager" of a bass. For it sometimes happens that -a bass will take a wriggling earth-worm or a "soft craw" when it will -not deign to notice the choicest minnow or the most cunningly devised -artificial fly. - -[Sidenote: Youthful Ambition] - -And the country lad always knows just where an -old "whopper" of a bronze-back black bass has his lair beneath the roots -of a big tree, or under the ledge of a moss-grown rock. To do future -battle with such an one has engrossed his thoughts by day and his dreams -by night, ever since the Christmas tree for him bore such fruit as a -linen line, a red and green float and a dozen fishhooks. - -[Sidenote: "A Riband in the Cap of Youth"] - -The triumphal march of a Roman warrior, with captives chained to his -chariot wheels, entering the gates of the Eternal City with a blare of -trumpets and the applause of the multitude, was an event to fill his -soul with just pride--but it descends to the level of vainglory and -mediocrity when compared with the swelling heart of the lad as he enters -the farmhouse kitchen with two or three old "lunkers" of black bass -strung on a willow withe. Many times during his homeward march had he -halted to admire the scale armor and spiny crests of his captive -knights! - -[Illustration: From a color sketch by Sherman F. Denton. - - Large Mouth Black Bass. (_Micropterus salmoides._)] - -And then to an appreciative audience he relates, in a graphic manner, -how this one seized a minnow, and that one a crawfish, and the other -one a hellgramite--and how often each one leaped from the water, and -how high it jumped--and how the "ellum" rod bent and twisted as the -large one tried to regain the hole under the big rock--and how the good -line cut the water in curving reaches and straight lines as another one -forged toward the sunken roots of the old sycamore. And then came the -climax, as, with pride and regret struggling for mastery, and "suiting -the action to the word and the word to the action," he tells again the -old, old story of how the biggest of all, a regular "snolligoster," -shook out the hook and got away! - -In the years to come, will that lad exult over the capture of a mighty -tuna or giant tarpon with as much genuine joy and enthusiasm as over -that string of bass? Well, hardly. And as the boy is father to the man, -and as we are all but children of larger growth, the black-bass angler -never outlives that love and enthusiasm of his younger days--younger -only as reckoned by the lapse of years. - -[Sidenote: In Olden Time] - -Although the black bass, as a game fish, has come into his own only -during the last two or three decades, black-bass fishing is older than -the Federal Union. The quaint old naturalist, William Bartram, the -"grandfather of American ornithology," in 1764, described, minutely, -"bobbing" for black bass in Florida, there, as in all the Southern -States, called "trout"--a name bestowed by the English colonists owing -to its gameness. While black-bass fishing is comparatively a recent -sport in the Eastern States, it was practiced in Kentucky, Tennessee and -southern Ohio before the end of the eighteenth century. In 1805 George -Snyder, the inventor of the Kentucky reel, was president of the Bourbon -County Angling Club at Paris, Kentucky. Fly-fishing was practiced as -early as 1840 on the Elkhorn and Kentucky rivers by Mr. J. L. Sage and -others. His click reel, made by himself, is now in my possession; and -George Snyder's own reel, made in 1810, a small brass multiplying reel -running on garnet jewels, is still in the possession of his grandson at -Louisville. - -[Sidenote: Appearance and Habits] - -The black bass is now an acknowledged peer among game fishes, and taking -him by and large excels them all, weight for weight. The generic term -black bass, as here used, includes both the large-mouth bass and the -small-mouth bass. The two species are as much alike as two peas in a -pod, the most striking difference between them being that one has a -larger mouth and larger scales than the other. When subject to the same -conditions and environment, they are equal in game qualities. The habits -of the two species are similar, though the large-mouth bass is more at -home in ponds and weedy waters than the small-mouth bass, which prefers -running streams and clear lakes. Their natural food is crawfish, for -which their wide mouths and brush-like teeth are well adapted, though -they do not object to an occasional minnow or small frog. - -[Sidenote: Now and Then] - -Owing to the wide distribution of black bass, fishing for it is -universal. It is no less enjoyed by the rustic youth with peeled sapling -rod and crawfish bait than by the artistic angler with slender wand and -fairy-like flies. While black-bass fishing was known and practiced in -the Ohio Valley from the earliest years of the nineteenth century, as -just stated, our angling books for three-fourths of the century -contained but little, if anything, about the black bass, as they were -mostly compilations from English authors. The only exception were the -books of Robert B. Roosevelt, an uncle of the President, who fished for -black bass in Canada about 1860. At the present day there are more -articles of fishing tackle made especially for black bass than for all -other game fishes combined. This is proof that it is the most popular -and, all things considered, the best game fish of America. - -[Sidenote: The Charm of Angling] - -Salmon fishing, the grandest sport in the curriculum of angling, is now -an expensive luxury. There is but little free water readily accessible, -for all the best pools are in the possession of wealthy clubs. The bold -leap of the salmon, when hooked, the exciting play of the fish on the -rod, and the successful gaffing, are as so many stanzas of an epic poem. -Trout fishing is a summer idyl. The angler wades the merry stream while -the leaves whisper and rustle overhead, the birds chirp and sing, the -insects drone and hum, the cool breeze fans his cheek, as he casts his -feathery lures, hither and yon, in eager expectation of a rise. - -[Illustration: Small Mouth Black Bass. (_Micropterus dolomieu._)] - -Black-bass fishing combines, in a measure, the heroic potentialities of -salmon fishing with the charms of trout fishing. The leap of the bass -is no less exciting than that of the salmon, and is oftener repeated, -while in stream fishing the pastoral features of trout fishing are -experienced and enjoyed. - -[Sidenote: The Leap of Fishes] - -The leap of a hooked fish is always an exciting episode to the angler -with red blood in his veins--exciting because as an offset to its -probable capture there is the very possible contingency of its escape by -throwing out the hook, or by breaking away. So with each leap of the -bass the hopes and fears of the angler are constantly exercised, while -his pulses quicken and his enthusiasm is aroused. Game fishes often leap -a few inches above the surface in play, or to catch a low-flying insect; -but when hooked they vault to a height commensurate with their agility -and muscular ability. They do not leap so high, however, as is commonly -supposed. - -[Sidenote: Vaulting Ambition] - -A tarpon will leap six feet high, but the cero, or Florida kingfish, -will leap higher, for it is the greatest vaulter of them all. The -ladyfish executes a series of short, whirling leaps that puzzle the eye -to follow--it is the gamest fish for its size in salt water. The leap of -the flying-fish is sustained for a long distance by its wing-like -pectoral fins, on the principle of the aeroplane, though its sole motive -power is probably derived from its tail before leaving the water. The -salt-water mullet is an expert jumper, leaping often in play, but when -pursued by an enemy its leaps are higher and longer than would be -expected from its size. The brook trout, pike, and mascalonge seldom -leap when hooked, though the steelhead trout and grayling both leap -nearly as often as the black bass in their efforts to dislodge the hook. -The leap of the salmon is a long, graceful curve, as it heads up stream. -Once, while playing my first salmon, on the Restigouche, many years ago, -my taut line was leading straight down the stream, when I caught sight -of a salmon over my shoulder and above me, leaping from the surface, -which, to my surprise, proved to be my hooked fish--the line making a -long detour in the swift water. - -[Sidenote: Leap of the Black Bass] - -I have heard many anglers declare that a black bass could leap five feet -high, when as a matter of fact they leap but a few inches, usually, and -occasionally one, or at most three feet, though I think two feet nearer -the limit. By an examination of Mr. A. Radcliffe Dugmore's photograph, -reproduced herewith, it will readily be seen that the leaps are not very -high ones. A black bass is in the air but a second or two, and to catch -him in the act as Mr. Dugmore has done must be considered a wonderful -achievement. The picture shows the bass returning to the water, with -either the head or the shoulders at, or beneath, the surface, while the -displaced water at his point of emergence still shows plainly--standing -up, as it were. This proves that the bass regains the surface as soon as -the displaced water, or rather before the upheaved water finds its -level, which could not be the case were the leaps three or four feet -high. - -[Sidenote: Why the Bass Leaps] - -Why does a hooked bass leap from the water? This question is sometimes -raised, though the answer is plain. He leaps into the air to endeavor to -dislodge the hook; this he tries to do by violently shaking his body, -with widely extended jaws. He does not "shake his head," as is often -said, for having no flexible neck, his head can only be thrown from side -to side by the violent contortions of his body, often using the water as -a fulcrum, when he appears to be standing on his tail. A dog or a cat -will shake its head vigorously to eject some offending substance from -the mouth, and a bass does the same thing; but as he cannot shake his -body to the extent required beneath the surface, owing to the resistance -of the water, he leaps above it. And if he succeeds in throwing out the -hook he disappears beneath the surface and is seen no more; his object -in leaping has been accomplished. - -Usually, it is only surface-feeding fishes that leap when hooked. -Bottom-feeding fishes bore toward the bottom or struggle in mid-water. -Every fish has its characteristic way of resisting capture, but any -fish is more easily subdued if kept on the surface by the skill of the -angler and the use of good and trustworthy tackle. - -[Sidenote: Their Way with a Bait] - -The manner of taking a bait also varies considerably with different -fishes; and the character of their teeth is a good guide to what they -feed on. For instance, the cunner and sheepshead are expert bait -stealers. With their incisor teeth their habit is to pinch off barnacles -and other mollusks from their attachment to rocks and old timbers, and -so they nip off the clam or crab bait from the hook with but little -disturbance. A trout takes a fly or bait with a vigorous snap, without -investigation as to its nature, and a black bass does much the same, -giving immediate and unmistakable notice to the angler that there is -"something doing." - -[Sidenote: Breeding Habits] - -The black bass is one of the few fishes that protects its eggs and -young. It forms its nest on gravelly or rocky shoals or shallows, -usually, but when such situations are not available, clay or mud bottom, -or the roots of aquatic plants are utilized, especially by the -large-mouth bass. During incubation the eggs are guarded and tended by -the parent fish, and hatch in ten days or two weeks, the fry remaining -on the nest, guarded by the male fish, for several days, when they -disperse to find suitable hiding places, feeding on minute organisms -that abound in all natural waters. - -[Sidenote: Spawning Season] - -The spawning season of the black bass varies considerably, owing to its -extensive range and consequent variation in the temperature of waters. -In Florida and the extreme South it is as early as March or April, in -the Middle West in May or June, and at the northern limit of its -distribution as late as July. Owing to this variation, laws to protect -the species during the breeding season must vary accordingly. As the -brooding fish are easily taken from their nests with snare, jig or -spear, the laws for their protection should be rigidly enforced, -otherwise a pond or small lake might soon be depleted where the poacher -is much in evidence. - -[Sidenote: Size and Weight] - -The large-mouth bass grows to a maximum weight of six to eight pounds in -Northern waters, where it hibernates, but in Florida and the Gulf -States, where it is active all the year, it grows much larger, in -Florida to twenty pounds in rare cases. The small-mouth bass has a -maximum weight of five or six pounds, though several have been recorded -of fully ten pounds, from a lake near Glens Falls, N. Y. As usual with -most other game fishes, the largest bass, as a rule, are taken with -bait. For instance, the heaviest I ever took in Florida on the -artificial fly weighed fourteen pounds, and with bait, twenty pounds. In -Northern waters the heaviest catch with the fly, of small-mouth bass, -seldom exceeds three pounds--usually from one to two pounds, and for -large-mouth bass a pound or two more, while with bait larger fish of -both species may be taken. - -[Sidenote: Season for Fishing] - -Owing to the variable conditions mentioned the season for black-bass -fishing varies likewise in different sections of the country. Thus, both -bait- and fly-fishing are practiced in Florida during winter. In the -Middle West--Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Missouri, etc.--bait-fishing is -available in the early spring, and fly-fishing as well as bait-fishing -in mid-summer and fall. In the Northern States and Canada both bait- and -fly-fishing are at their best during late summer and the fall months. - -[Sidenote: Distribution] - -The original habitats of the black bass, either of one or both species, -were the hydrographic basins of the St. Lawrence, Ohio and Mississippi -Rivers. Only the large-mouth existed in the seaboard streams of the -South Atlantic and Gulf States. By transplantation the black bass is now -a resident of every state in the Union. It will thrive in any water the -temperature of which runs up to sixty-five degrees or more in summer. It -is one of the best fishes to introduce to new waters where the proper -conditions exist, but should never, for obvious reasons, be planted in -the same waters with any species of trout. - -[Sidenote: Increase in New Waters] - -As instances of new waters in which its increase was rapid, the -Delaware, Susquehanna and Potomac Rivers may be mentioned. In 1854 -thirty small-mouth bass, about six inches long, were taken from a creek -near Wheeling, W. Va., and placed in the Potomac near Cumberland, Md. -From this small plant the entire river above the Great Falls, and all -its tributaries, became well stocked, and has afforded fine fishing for -years. - -[Sidenote: Commercial Fishing] - -In former years the black bass was quite an important commercial fish in -the Middle West, but since the enactment of laws prohibiting seining and -net-fishing of streams it is not often seen in the markets, and then it -is mostly from private ponds. In the States of Washington and Utah, -however, where it was planted in some rather large lakes years ago, the -markets are pretty well supplied with this delicious fish, for, barring -the lake whitefish, it is the best food-fish of fresh waters. Owing to -the well known improvidence of market fishermen it would be well to -prohibit its sale entirely in all sections of the country when taken -from public waters. - -[Sidenote: Propagation] - -Owing to the desirability of the black bass for stocking waters, the -demand for both private and public streams and ponds is far in excess of -the supply. Undoubtedly the best plan for stocking is that of planting -adult fish, as already alluded to. But owing to the difficulty of -obtaining adult fish, the energies of fish culturists have for years -been directed to a solution of the question of supply. So far, however, -their efforts have been but partially successful. - -[Sidenote: Character of Eggs] - -The eggs of the salmon, trout, grayling, shad, whitefish, etc., can be -stripped from the fish, can be separated and manipulated as easily as so -much shot, and made to respond readily to fish-cultural methods. But the -eggs of the black bass are enveloped in a gelatinous mass that precludes -stripping, and their separation is extremely difficult, if not -impossible. Consequently any attempt at their incubation by the usual -hatchery methods would prove futile. - -[Sidenote: Pond Culture] - -The only feasible and successful plan is that of pond culture. Of this -there are several methods. One either allows the bass to proceed with -their parental cares in a natural manner; or early separates the parent -fish from the young fry, which are then fed and reared to the desired -age for planting. The United States Bureau of Fisheries and several of -the individual states pursue this plan, and supply the fry to applicants -free of charge. - -[Sidenote: Millions Saved] - -There are certain bayous and depressions along the Mississippi and -Illinois Rivers and other streams in that section which are overflowed -during high water. When the water recedes many black bass and other -fishes are left in the bayous, which would eventually perish upon the -drying up of the water. It is the practice of the National and several -state fish commissions to seine out the fish and transfer them to -suitable waters, or to applicants, free of expense. In this way many -waters are stocked and millions of fish saved that would otherwise -perish. - -[Sidenote: Fly Fishing] - -The black bass rises to the artificial fly as readily as the trout or -grayling, if fished for intelligently. The trout takes the fly at or -near the surface, while it should be allowed to sink a few inches at -nearly every cast for black bass, the same as for grayling. As to flies, -any of the hackles, brown, black or gray, are enticing to bass, and such -winged flies as Montreal, polka, professor, coachman, silver doctor and -a dozen others are very taking on most waters. The most important rules -for fly-fishing, or casting the minnow, are to cast a straight line, -keep it taut, and to strike on sight or touch of the fish; that is when -the swirl is seen near the fly, or when the fish is felt. Striking is -simply a slight turning of the rod hand while keeping the line very -taut. But more important than all other rules is to keep out of sight of -the fish. The flies should be lightly cast, and by slight tremulous -motions made to simulate the struggles of a live insect, and then -allowed to sink a few inches or a foot. From five o'clock in the -afternoon until dusk is usually the best time for fly-fishing. - -[Sidenote: Bait Fishing] - -The best natural bait is the minnow--a shiner, chub, or the young of -almost any fish, which is well adapted for either casting, trolling or -still-fishing. In waters where it abounds the crawfish is a good bait, -especially the shedders or soft craws, to be used only for -still-fishing. The hellgramite, the larva of the corydalis fly, in its -native waters, is also successful for still-fishing. A small frog is a -capital bait on weedy waters, where it is usually cast overhead with a -very short and stiff rod. Grasshoppers and crickets are sometimes -employed with a fly-rod in lieu of artificial flies, and with good -results. The salt-water shrimp, where it is available, near the coasts, -is also a good bait for still-fishing. Cut-bait is also sometimes -useful. - -[Sidenote: Artificial Bait] - -In the absence of natural bait a spoon or spinner, with a single -hook--and more than one should not be used by the humane angler--is well -adapted for casting or trolling. It should be remembered that all baits, -of whatever kind, should be kept in motion. A dead minnow answers as -well as a live one for casting or trolling, but should be alive for -still-fishing. With crawfish, worms, shrimps or hellgramites a float -should be employed to keep them from touching the bottom. - -[Sidenote: Bait-Casting] - -In casting the minnow it should be hooked through the lips, and reeled -in slowly after each cast to imitate the motions of a live one as much -as possible. A spoon or spinner should be reeled in much faster in order -to cause it to revolve freely. The most effective way of casting, either -with minnow or spoon, is by the underhand method; nearly as long, and -more delicate casts can be made as by the overhead cast with short, -stiff rod. The mechanics of fly- or bait-casting can hardly be expressed -in words or explained without diagrams or cuts. The best plan for -beginners is to accompany an old hand to the stream and witness the -practical demonstration of the art. - -[Sidenote: Fishing Rods] - -A trout fly-rod answers just as well for black bass, with a weight of -from five to eight ounces, according to the material and plan of -construction, and whether employed by an expert or a tyro. The rod for -minnow casting, or indeed for any method of bait-fishing, should be from -eight to eight and a half feet long and from seven to eight ounces in -weight, as larger fish are taken with bait. For casting the frog in -weedy waters a short, stiff rod of five or six feet is used by many. A -few words in reference to the origin of this short rod may not be amiss, -especially as I wish to make it a matter of record. - -[Sidenote: The Short Bait-Casting Rod] - -At the time of the Chicago Fair, in 1893, my old friend, James M. Clark, -a good angler, was superintendent of the fishing-tackle department of a -large sporting goods house in that city. He informed me that he had -devised a rod especially intended for casting a frog for black bass and -pike on certain weedy waters not far from Chicago. - -The said rod was made by reducing the regular eight-and-one-fourth-foot -Henshall rod to six feet, and it soon became popular on the waters -mentioned, for by casting overhead, instead of underhand, more accurate -line shots could be made into the small open spaces. As the weedy -character of the waters rendered the proper playing of a bass difficult -or ineffectual, the short, stiff rod proved itself capable of rapidly -reeling in the fish, willy nilly. Of course the pleasure of playing a -fish in a workmanlike manner, as in open water, would be lost, to say -nothing of denying the fish a chance for its life by depriving it of a -fair field and no favor--the only sportsmanlike way. - -[Sidenote: Casting Baits] - -Eventually the short rod and overhead cast became popular at casting -tournaments, where it was also demonstrated that by reducing its length -to five and even four feet longer casts were possible. Unfortunately the -use of this very short and stiff rod was extended to practical fishing, -and with its use was evolved a number of casting baits that out-herod -anything yet produced in the way of objectionable artificial baits. They -are huge, clumsy creations of wood or metal, of an elliptical form or -otherwise, and bristle with from three to five triangles of cheap hooks; -they are painted in a fantastic manner, and most of them are also -equipped with wings or propellers. - -[Sidenote: Twin Evils] - -The extremely short tournament tool of five feet, called by courtesy a -rod, when employed in angling, and the cruel and murderous casting baits -with twelve to fifteen hooks, are, in my opinion, twin evils which -should be tabooed by every fair-minded and humane angler. So far as the -short rod itself is concerned, I have always commended its use for -tournament work, but I do not favor it for open-water fishing, for -reasons already given. This use of it is a matter for the consideration -of those who choose to employ it. For myself, I have always found the -eight-foot rod and horizontal, underhand cast equal to all emergencies -of fishing for black bass, pike and mascalonge. In overhead casting the -bait is started on its flight from a height of ten or twelve feet, and -necessarily makes quite a splash when it strikes the water. On the other -hand, with the horizontal cast the minnow is projected to the desired -spot with very little disturbance. - -[Sidenote: Lines and Hooks] - -The only line that fulfills all requirements for fly-fishing as to -weight and smoothness of finish is one of enameled, braided silk, either -level or tapered. For casting the minnow the smallest size of braided, -undressed silk is the only one to use with satisfaction. For trolling or -still-fishing a larger size may be employed, or a flax line of the -smallest caliber. - -Among the many patterns of fishhooks the Sproat is the best and the -O'Shaughnessy next, as being strong, well-tempered and reliable, and of -practicable shape. The modern eyed-hooks, if of the best quality, can -be used for both bait-fishing and fly-tying. Sizes of hooks for -bait-fishing in Northern waters, Nos. 1 and 2; for Florida, Nos. 1-0 -and 2-0; for artificial flies, Nos. 2 to 6. - -[Sidenote: Leaders and Snells] - -Leaders for fly-fishing and still-fishing should be four, or not more -than six, feet long, of good, sound and uniformly round silkworm gut. A -leader is not used in casting or trolling the minnow or spoon. Snells -should likewise be made of the best silkworm fiber, three to four inches -long for artificial flies, and not less than six inches for -bait-fishing. It is no advantage to stain or tint leaders or snells, as -they are more readily discerned by the fish than those of the natural -hyaline color; and the more transparent, the less they show in the -water. - -[Sidenote: Fishing Reels] - -And now as to reels. A light, single-action click reel is the best and -most appropriate for fly-fishing, and may be either all metal or hard -rubber and metal combined, the former being preferable. It can be -utilized for still-fishing also, where long casting is not practiced. -But for casting the minnow a multiplying reel of the finest quality is -required, and the thumb must be educated to exert just the right amount -of uniform pressure on the spool during the flight of the minnow, to -prevent its backlashing and the resultant overrunning and snarling of -the line. This can only be mastered by careful practice. As most fine -multipliers are fitted with an adjustable click, it can be utilized also -for fly-fishing, but it is rather heavy for the lightest fly-rods. While -an automatic reel answers very well for trout fishing on small streams, -its spring is too light to control the movements of a fish as large and -gamesome as the black bass. - -[Illustration: Black Bass returning to water after leap.] - -[Sidenote: Something More About Reels] - -It may not be amiss, in this connection, to venture a few remarks on -reels in general. Elsewhere I have made the statement that the most -important office of a rod was in the management of the hooked fish, and -not in casting the fly or bait. _Per contra_, the chief function of the -multiplying reel is in casting the bait, and not in reeling in the fish. -The office and intention of the gearing of the multiplying reel is to -prolong and sustain the initial momentum of the cast, in order that the -bait may be projected to a greater distance than is possible with any -single-action reel. This is proven by the fact that there have been -several devices invented whereby the handle, wheel and pinion of the -reel are thrown out of gear to allow greater freedom to the revolving -spool in casting. The theory looked feasible enough, but actual practice -demonstrated that without the sustaining aid of the gears the momentum -was soon lost, with the result that the bait could not be cast so far. -All such devices have now been abandoned as utterly futile. - -[Sidenote: The Reel in Use] - -So far as the skillful management of a hooked fish is concerned, the -multiplying reel is no better than the single-action click reel. For -tarpon, tuna, and other very large fishes, where "pumping" is practiced -on the hooked fish, the largest multiplying reel is of advantage in -rapidly taking up the resultant slack line. And so far as "power" is -concerned, in reeling in the fish on a strain, the single-action reel -has the advantage, for the force applied to the crank acts directly on -the shaft of the spool, while in the multiplying reel much of the force -is lost by being distributed through the gears to the shaft. - -[Sidenote: Position of Reel on Rod] - -[Sidenote: The Reel on Top] - -There is a tendency of late years, especially with the heavy rods for -tuna and tarpon fishing, and also with the very short rod used in -overhead casting for black bass, to place the reel on top with the -handle to the right. While that plan is, in most cases, a matter of -choice or habit, it is essentially wrong. Neither multiplying or click -reels were intended to be used in that position, and because some -anglers prefer to place them so is no argument that it is right. - -[Sidenote: The Reel Underneath] - -Placing the reel on the top of the rod, on a line with the guides, and -grasping the rod loosely where it balances, the reel naturally, and in -accordance with the law of gravitation, turns to the under side of the -rod. No muscular effort is required to keep it there, as is the case -where the reel is used on top, which with heavy reels is considerable. -The reel and guides being on the under side when playing a fish, the -strain is upon the guides, and is equally distributed along the entire -rod, while with the reel guides on top the strain is almost entirely on -the extreme tip of the rod, and the friction is much greater. - -[Sidenote: The Right Way] - -With the multiplying reel underneath and the handle to the right, the -rod is held at nearly its balancing point, with the rod hand partly over -the reel, with the index or middle finger, or both, just forward of the -reel, to guide the line on the spool in reeling. The click reel being -entirely behind the rod hand, and underneath, at the extreme butt, the -rod can be grasped at its balancing point by the left hand, and the line -reeled with the other. - -[Sidenote: The Wrong Way] - -Where the multiplying reel is placed on top, with the handle to the -right, and the thumb used for guiding the line on the spool, there is a -constant tendency of the reel to get to the under side, where it -properly belongs. To overcome this wabbling of the reel, and to insure -more steadiness, the butt of the rod is braced against the stomach by -the reel-on-top anglers--certainly a most ungraceful and unbecoming -thing to do with a light rod. With the tarpon or tuna rod, and with the -reel either on top or underneath, a socket for the rod butt becomes -necessary in playing a very heavy fish. - -[Sidenote: Casting and Playing] - -In casting from the reel with a light rod it is turned partly or -entirely on top, with the right thumb on the spool. When the cast is -made the rod is at once transferred to the left hand in the position for -reeling in the line, with the index finger pressing it against the rod. -The fish can be played with the left hand, leaving the right hand free -to reel when necessary. Or in case a fish is unusually heavy and its -resistance is great, the rod can be taken in the right hand, with the -thumb on the spool to control the giving of line. When the opportunity -occurs for reeling, the rod is again transferred to the left hand. - -It is very much easier to use the reel underneath when one becomes -accustomed to it, and it has been used in this way for centuries by the -British angler. As the reel originated in England, it is to be presumed -that the manufacturers and anglers of that country know its proper -position on the rod. - -[Sidenote: Trolling] - -While fly-fishing and casting the minnow may be practiced wherever the -black bass is found, on stream or lake, there are other methods of -angling that depend somewhat on local conditions. Trolling with the -minnow or trolling-spoon is sometimes practiced on lakes, as in -Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. There is no skill whatever required -for trolling with handline and spoon, as the bass hooks himself, when -hooked at all, and is simply dragged into the boat without ceremony. It -is a method of fishing that would better be "honored in the breach, than -the observance." And as the rod generally used for trolling is rather -stiff and heavy, it does not require the skill and cleverness to play -and land the fish that are demanded by the light and pliable rods -employed in casting the fly or minnow. - -[Sidenote: Other Methods] - -Skittering with a pork-rind bait is practiced on some Eastern ponds, and -casting the frog overhead with a very short rod is a method that -originated with some Chicago anglers. Fishing with one or a group of -hooks dressed with a portion of a deer's tail and a strip of red -flannel, forming a kind of tassel and known as a "bob," is practiced in -the Gulf States. A very long cane rod and a very short line comprise the -rest of the equipment. The bob is danced on the surface in front of the -boat in the weedy bayous, and is certainly effective in catching bass. - -[Sidenote: Still-Fishing] - -[Sidenote: Ad Infinitum] - -Still-fishing from the bank or a boat may be practiced wherever bass are -found. Any kind of rod is used, from a sapling to a split-bamboo, with -almost any kind of line or hook, and natural bait of any kind may be -employed, with or without a float. It is the primitive style of angling. -I think the paradise of the still-fisher may be found on a Florida lake. -Anchoring his boat near the shore, just outside of the fringe of -pond-lilies and bonnets, he splits the stem of a water lily, takes from -it a small worm that harbors there, impales it on his hook, and casts it -in a bight amid the rank growth of vegetation, where it is soon taken by -a minnow of some sort, which in turn is cast into the deeper water -beyond the border of aquatic plants, on the other side of the boat, -where a big bass is lying in wait for just such an opportunity. And so -he proceeds, _ad infinitum_, casting on one side of the boat for his -bait, and on the other side for his bass. "First the blade, then the -ear, after that the full corn in the ear." - - - - - THE GRAYLING: THE FLOWER OF FISHES - - - - - THE GRAYLING: THE FLOWER OF FISHES - - -St. Ambrose, the good Bishop of Milan, in a sermon to the fishes, -apostrophized the grayling as the "flower of fishes," as being the most -beautiful, fragrant and sweetest of all the finny tribe. The saintly -bishop was quite right in his estimation of the graceful, gliding -grayling. It possesses a refined beauty and delicacy that is seen in no -other fish, and it well merits its appellation of the "lady of the -streams." - -[Sidenote: Dame Juliana Berners] - -Dame Juliana Berners, prioress of the nunnery of Sopwell, near St. -Albans, England, was the author of the first book on angling in the -English language--printed in 1496. This "Treatyse of Fysshynge with an -Angle" has served as the inspiration and model for all subsequent -angling authors from Izaak Walton to the present day. Dame Juliana was -really the first author to mention fly-fishing in a definite sense, -though AElian in his "History of Animals," A.D. 230, says that the -Macedonians fished in the river Astraeus with an imitation of a fly -called _hippurus_. - -Dame Juliana in her treatise gives a list of "XII flyes wyth whyche ye -shall angle to ye trought and grayllyng"; and now, after the lapse of -four centuries, artificial flies constructed after her formulas would -prove as successful as any of the new fangled, up-to-date creations. In -fact, most of her flies are in use to-day under various names; and any -of them tied on very small hooks would answer admirably for the -graylings of America. - -[Sidenote: The Graylings] - -There are three closely allied species of grayling in America, and two -or three in Europe. Wherever found they inhabit the coldest and clearest -streams. Their distribution in this country is restricted to -well-defined and limited areas. One, known as the Arctic grayling, is -abundant in Alaska and the adjoining Mackenzie district of British -Columbia. A second species is native to Michigan, and the third is found -only in Montana. - -[Sidenote: The Arctic Grayling] - -The first mention of the grayling and grayling fishing in America was -that of Sir John Richardson, in the narrative of the Franklin Expedition -to the North Pole, in 1819. Dr. Richardson called it "Bach's Grayling" -in honor of a fellow officer, a midshipman of that name, who took the -first one on the fly. He gave it the technical specific name of -_signifer_, meaning "standard bearer," in allusion to its tall and -brilliant dorsal fin. - -Regarding the gameness of the grayling, Dr. Richardson says: "This -beautiful fish inhabits strong rapids.... It bites eagerly at the -artificial fly and, deriving great power from its large dorsal fin, -affords much sport to the angler. The grayling generally springs -entirely out of the water when first struck by the hook, and tugs -strongly at the line, requiring as much dexterity to land it safely as -it would to secure a trout of six times the size." - -[Sidenote: The Michigan Grayling] - -The Michigan grayling, in early days, was known to lumbermen and -trappers as "Michigan trout," "white trout," "Crawford County trout," -etc. It was first described by Dr. Edward D. Cope, in 1865, who gave it -the specific name of _tri-color_, in allusion to the gay coloration of -the dorsal fin. Until recent years it was abundant in streams of the -lower peninsula of Michigan rising from an elevated sandy plateau and -flowing into Lakes Huron and Michigan and the Strait of Mackinac. In a -few streams flowing into Pine Lake and Lake Michigan, as Pine, Boyne, -Jordan, etc., it co-existed with the brook trout, but farther south, -especially in the Manistee and the Au Sable rivers and their -tributaries, the grayling alone existed. In the upper peninsula it also -existed in Otter Creek, near Keweenaw. - -[Illustration: Michigan Grayling. (_Thymallus tricolor._)] - -[Sidenote: The Montana Grayling] - -The Montana grayling, though mentioned by Lewis and Clark from the -Jefferson River (to which fact I have recently called attention), was -not recognized until seventy years later, when Professor J. W. Milner -discovered and named it _montanus_, in 1872. So now we have the three -species, _Thymallus signifer_, _Thymallus tri-color_, and _Thymallus -montanus_. The generic name _Thymallus_ is a very ancient one, and was -bestowed originally because an odor of thyme was said by the Greeks to -emanate from a freshly caught grayling. In our day the odor of thyme is -not apparent, though when just out of the water it diffuses a faint and -pleasant odor not unlike that from a freshly cut cucumber. - -[Sidenote: Morphology of the Graylings] - -The structural differences between the three American graylings are so -slight that they would be scarcely recognized by the lay angler, -therefore a general description will probably answer. It is a slender, -gracefully formed fish, with a body about five times longer than its -depth, and rather thin, or compressed, on the order of the lake herring -or cisco, or the Rocky Mountain whitefish. From this slight resemblance -there is an erroneous notion quite current in Montana that it is a cross -between the whitefish and the trout. - -[Sidenote: Characteristic Feature] - -Its characteristic feature is the tall dorsal fin, beautifully decorated -with a rose-colored border, and oblong spots of various sizes of -rose-pink ocellated with blue, green or white. The height of the fin is -about one-fourth the length of the fish; I have several specimens of -fins that are four inches tall, from fish not more than sixteen inches -long. - -[Sidenote: Coloration] - -When first out of the water the grayling might be compared to a fish of -mother-of-pearl, owing to the beautiful iridescence, wherein are -displayed all the colors of the spectrum in subdued tints of lilac, -pink, green, blue and purple, with the back purplish gray, and a few -dark, small spots on the forward part of the body. The graylings are -closely allied to the trout family, having an adipose second dorsal fin. - -[Sidenote: Its Peculiar Eye] - -The eye of all graylings is peculiar, the pupil being pyriform or -pear-shaped. In all illustrations of American graylings that I have -seen, except photographs, the artist has drawn the pupil perfectly -round, as in most fishes. The only exception is that of the painting of -the Montana grayling, by A. D. Turner, that accompanies the magnificent -work, "Forest, Lake and River," by Dr. F. M. Johnson. - -[Sidenote: Food and Haunts] - -The grayling having but few teeth, and those small and slender, its food -consequently consists of insects and their larvae. It prefers swift -streams with sandy or gravelly bottom, and loves the deep pools, where -it lies in small schools. Occasionally it extends its search for food to -adjacent streams strewn with small rocks and bowlders. Its maximum -weight is one and a half pounds, very rarely reaching two pounds. - -[Sidenote: Comparative Abundance] - -[Sidenote: In Michigan] - -The Arctic grayling is still abundant in the Yukon and other rivers of -Alaska. On the contrary, the Michigan grayling, though plentiful twenty -years ago, is now nearly extinct, owing to the extensive lumbering -industry. All the graylings spawn in April and May in very shallow -water, and the eggs hatch within two weeks. As this is also the time -when the saw-logs descend the streams on the spring rise, they plow -through the spawning beds, destroying both eggs and newly hatched fry. -The annual recurrence of these circumstances for many years has -resulted, unfortunately, in the passing of the Michigan grayling. -Overfishing and the incursion of the trout have been mentioned as -probable causes, but neither factor could possibly have produced the -present state of things. The streams have since been stocked with brook -and rainbow trout, and efforts are being made to introduce the Montana -grayling. - -[Sidenote: In Montana] - -In Montana the grayling is restricted to tributaries of the Missouri -River above the Great Falls, except where recently planted. Until within -the past few years it inhabited only the three forks of the -Missouri--the Gallatin, Madison and Jefferson rivers and -tributaries--and Smith River and tributaries below the three forks. It -is still abundant in these waters and lives in amity, as it has done for -all time, with the red-throat trout and Rocky Mountain whitefish. - -[Illustration: Arctic Grayling. (_Thymallus signifer._)] - -[Sidenote: Distribution] - -That the grayling should inhabit only the widely separated regions of -Alaska, Michigan and Montana is remarkable. The Arctic grayling is -regarded as the parent stock, while the others are possibly relics of -the glacial period. This seems probable in connection with the fact that -in the mountains where the sources of the Jefferson River arise, there -is a deep lake, some four miles long (Elk Lake), that in addition to -grayling is inhabited by the Great Lake, or Mackinaw, trout. This trout -is found nowhere else west of the Great Lakes except in Canada. - -[Sidenote: Propagation of the Grayling] - -Beginning with 1874 numerous attempts were made to propagate the -Michigan grayling artificially, but after repeated failures all effort -in this direction was abandoned. When a station of the U. S. Fish -Commission was established at Bozeman, Montana, in 1897, the Commission, -under my supervision, began a series of experiments in grayling culture, -resulting in complete success, so that for several years millions of -grayling have been hatched and planted, and millions of eggs have been -shipped to other stations of the Bureau, where they have been hatched -and planted in Eastern waters. It is hoped that they may find a suitable -home in some of the streams thus stocked. At the Bozeman station they -have been reared to maturity, and eggs taken from these domesticated -fish have been hatched. This is considered a triumph in fish-culture. -Grayling eggs, by the way, are smaller than trout eggs, while the newly -hatched fry are only about one-fourth of an inch long, and are quite -weak for several days. - -[Sidenote: Origin of Name] - -The English name "grayling" is doubtless derived from its appearance in -the water, where it glides along like a swiftly moving gray shadow. In -Germany it is called _asche_, from its gray or ash color in the water. -One of its old names in England on some streams was "umber," a name of -like significance. - -[Sidenote: As a Game- and Food-Fish] - -As a game-fish, the grayling is considered by those who know it best, -both in this country and England, when of corresponding size, equal to, -if not superior to, the brown trout of England, the brook trout of -Michigan, or the red-throat trout of Montana; while as a food-fish it is -also better, its flesh being firmer, more flaky, and of greater -sweetness of flavor. Likewise one can relish the grayling for many -consecutive meals without the palate becoming cloyed, as in the case of -the more oily trout. It never has a muddy or weedy taste. - -In England there is a prevalent opinion that the grayling has a tender -mouth and must be handled very gingerly when hooked; there is no truth -in this notion, however, as its mouth is as tough as that of the trout; -but as smaller hooks are employed in grayling fishing they are more apt -to break out under a strain. For this reason the angler should not -attempt to "strike" at a rising fish, but allow it to hook itself, -which all game-fishes will do nine times out of ten. The only object in -striking is to set the hook more firmly. - -[Sidenote: Grayling Fishing] - -Grayling fishing is fair during summer, but is at its best in autumn; -and where the streams are open it is quite good in winter. Mr. Dugmore, -who made the admirable photograph illustrating this article, did his -fishing late in August, in the West Fork of the Madison River, and in -Beaver Creek in the upper canyon of the Madison, in Montana. The upper -Madison is an ideal home for grayling, the stream being clear and swift -with a bottom of black obsidian sand. - -[Illustration: Montana Grayling. (_Thymallus montanus._)] - -[Sidenote: Fly-Fishing] - -Fly-fishing for grayling differs considerably from trout fishing. The -trout usually lies concealed, except when on the riffles, while the -grayling lies at the bottom of exposed pools. When the fly is cast on -the surface the trout dashes at it from his lair with a vim; or if below -it, he often rises clear of the water in his eagerness to seize it. -Should the fly be missed, another attempt will not be made again for -some little time, if at all. The grayling rises to the fly from the -bottom of the pool to the surface with incredible swiftness, but makes -no commotion in doing so. Should it fail to seize the fly it returns -toward the bottom, but soon essays another attempt, and will continue -its efforts until finally the fly is taken into its mouth. From this it -is evident that the grayling is not as shy as the trout. It is also -apparent that the fly should be kept on the surface for trout, but -allowed to sink a few inches at each cast for grayling. - -[Sidenote: Casting and Playing] - -While the casts need not be as long as for trout, unless in very shallow -water, they should be perfectly straight, and the line be kept taut, so -that the fish may hook itself upon taking the fly into its mouth. When -hooked, it should be led away to one side of the pool in order that the -rest of the school may not be alarmed. The fish should be held with a -light hand, so as not to tear out the small hook, but at the same time -kept on the bend of the rod until exhausted, before putting the -landing-net under it. The landing-net should always be used, as the hold -of the small hook may be a slight one. - -[Sidenote: Leaping of Grayling] - -Unlike the trout, the grayling often breaks water repeatedly when -hooked, making short but mad leaps for freedom that require considerable -skill to circumvent. During the struggle the tall bannerlike dorsal fin -waves like a danger-signal, and with the forked tail-fin offers -considerable resistance in the swift water. But when safely in his -creel, the fortunate angler can congratulate himself on having fairly -subdued and captured this wily and coquettish beauty of the crystal -waters. - -[Sidenote: Outfit for Fly-Fishing] - -The outfit for fly-fishing is about the same as for trout, say a rod of -five or six ounces, light click reel, enameled silk line, with a -four-foot leader for two flies, or one of six feet for three, though two -flies are enough. The flies should be tied on quite small hooks, Nos. 10 -or 12. While ordinary trout-flies answer pretty well, they are much -better if made with narrower wings, or still better with split wings. -Any of the conventional hackles are capital, especially if the hackle is -tied so as to stand out at right angles to the shank of the hook. The -most successful flies are those with bodies of peacock harl or of some -shade of yellow, as coachman, grizzly king, Henshall, alder, governor, -and black gnat, with bodies of harl; and professor, queen of the water, -Lord Baltimore and oak fly, with yellowish bodies. Other useful flies -are gray drake, gray coflin, and the various duns. Four of the most -successful grayling flies in England are the witch, Bradshaw's fancy, -green insect and red tag, samples of which were sent to me by one of the -best grayling fishers of that country. They were tied on the smallest -hooks made, Nos. 16 to 20. All have harl bodies, very plump, with tags -of red worsted, and hackles of various shades of silver gray, except -Walbran's red tag, which has brown hackle. Mr. Howarth, an old English -fly-tier, of Florissant, Colorado, is an adept at tying grayling flies. - -[Sidenote: Outfit for Bait Fishing] - -For bait-fishing the fly-rod and click reel mentioned will answer, as -the bait used is very light. The line should be of braided silk, -undressed, size H, with a leader of three or four feet. Snelled hooks, -size Nos. 7 to 9, are about right. The best bait is the "rock worm," as -it is called in Montana, which is the larva of a caddis fly encased in -an artificial envelope of minute bits of stick, or grains of fine -gravel. Other baits are earthworms, grubs, crickets, grasshoppers, -natural flies, or small bits of fat meat. - -[Sidenote: Float and Sinker] - -In comparatively still water a quill float, or a very small one of cork, -must be used to keep the bait about a foot from the bottom, with a light -sinker to balance the float. In swift water the float will not be -required, but the small sinker is needed to keep the bait near the -bottom. My advice, however, would be to pay court to the "lady of the -streams" with the artificial fly as the only fitting gage to cast before -her ladyship. - -[Sidenote: The Finest Grayling Fishing] - -The angler who visits Yellowstone National Park, after viewing the -beauties and marvels of that wonderland, and enjoying the excellent -trout fishing, may go by a regular stage line to Riverside at its -western boundary, and thence a few miles to the upper Madison basin. -Here, within an area of a dozen miles, are several forks of the Madison -River, and Beaver Creek in the upper canyon, where he may enjoy the -finest grayling fishing in the world. Under the shadows of snow-clad -peaks, and amidst the most charming and varied scenery, he may cast his -feathery lures upon virgin streams of crystalline pureness, while -breathing in the ozone of the mountain breeze and the fragrance of pine -and fir. - -[Sidenote: The Relation of Monasteries to the Grayling] - -There is a tradition in England that the grayling was introduced into -that country from the continent of Europe by the monks and friars of -olden time. This is not improbable, as the grayling was always a -favorite fish with the various monastic orders throughout Europe, and -there still remain in England the ruins of ancient monasteries on most -of the grayling streams. As the original habitats of all the graylings -are the coldest and clearest waters, the streams of England, while clear -enough at times, are not of very low temperature; this would seem to -give some credence or warrant for the legend mentioned. - -One can readily imagine the tonsured fathers of old--friars white, -black and gray, and the hooded Capuchin and Benedictine--during the -lenten season and before fast days, repairing to the limpid stream with -rod and line in pursuit of the lovely grayling. - -[Sidenote: The Monks and the Grayling] - -But the angler, of all others, can realize that it was not alone to -gratify the palate that the holy brothers left the dim cloister for the -sunlit stream, the rosary and missal for the rod and line, and forsook -the consecrated pile for God's first temples--the sylvan groves. And -there, rod in hand, seated on the verdure-clad bank, he sees the silent -and ghostly figures eagerly watching the tell-tale float, fishing all -day, perhaps, from the matin song of the lark to the vesper hymn of the -nightingale, while they are quietly drinking in and enjoying the many -bountiful gifts of Nature--the merry brook, the nodding flowers, the -whispering leaves, the grateful breeze. - -[Illustration: English Grayling. (_Thymallus thymallus._)] - -[Sidenote: The Cloister and the Stream] - -And how the hooking of a grayling must have stirred the stagnant blood -and quickened the pulses of those austere souls! And how the languid -muscles must have stiffened, and the deadened nerves thrilled, when the -gamesome grayling leaped into the sunlight sparkling like a gem and -glittering like a crystal! - -Ah! what a happy contrast to the gloomy cell and breviary it must have -been to those rigid and frigid celibates to view the ever-changing -tints and the reflected glory of the "lady of the streams" after she -had coquettishly responded to their lures! - -[Sidenote: The Warning of the Past] - -But let us return from the musty ages of the past, and the hoary -fathers--those wise conservators of their beloved fish--to the present -day, with the sad vanishing of the Michigan grayling as a solemn -warning. Let us, then, guard and preserve this beautiful creature that -has come down to us through the centuries, hallowed by the jealous care -of the good fathers of yore, so that the toiler in these stirring times -may, if he will, forsake the busy marts, the office or workshop, for a -period, be it ever so brief, and journey even a thousand miles to -enjoy--as the monks of old--the catching of a grayling. - - - - - THE TROUT: THE ANGLER'S PRIDE - - - - - THE TROUT: THE ANGLER'S PRIDE - - -[Sidenote: Passing of the Brook Trout] - -The brook trout, or char, with the beautiful and suggestive name of -_Salvelinus fontinalis_, by which it is known to the naturalist, is fast -disappearing from its native streams. The altered conditions of its -aboriginal environment, owing to changes brought about by the progress -of civilization, have resulted in its total extinction in some waters -and a sad diminution in others. In many instances the trout brooks of -our childhood will know them no more. The lumberman has gotten in his -work--the forests have disappeared--the tiny brooks have vanished. - -The lower waters still remain, but are robbed of their pristine -pureness by the contamination due to various manufacturing industries. -In such streams the supply of trout is only maintained through the -efforts of the federal and state fish commissions. It is to be hoped -that by this means the beautiful brook trout, the loveliest and -liveliest fish of all the finny world, may be preserved and spared to -us for yet a little while. Its introduction to the pure mountain -streams of the Far West has given it a new lease of life, and the time -may come when, outside of the game and fish preserves of wealthy clubs, -it will be only in its new home that it can be found. - -[Illustration: Brook Trout. (_Salvelinus fontinalis._)] - -[Sidenote: Back Log Reveries] - -On long winter evenings the angler, sitting before his cheerful fire, -may be meditating on the passing of the brook trout--that his angling -record for the last season was not so good as the year before, and that -next summer it may be still worse. But such disheartening thoughts are -quickly dispelled as his glance falls on the fly-book and tackle box -within his reach. His fly-book is eagerly overhauled and frayed snells -and leaders and rusty hooks discarded. Some well-worn flies that recall -the big trout that gave him sport galore in the long summer days are, on -second thought, snugly and affectionately tucked away in a separate -pocket of the book, to be brought forth on occasion, to excite the envy -of some brother angler, while relating with minute detail the story of -the part they took in the capture of the "big ones." - -[Sidenote: Pipe Dreams] - -Through the rings of smoke rising from his brier-root he sees the stream -rippling and sparkling as it courses around the bend. And in fancy he is -wading and casting, and as eagerly expectant of a rise, with his feet -encased in slippers, as when plodding along in clumsy wading boots. The -pipe-dreams of retrospection are as engrossing and enjoyable as those of -anticipation to the appreciative angler. The pleasures though passed are -not forgotten. - -[Sidenote: Pride After a Fall] - -He even smiles as he remembers the slippery and treacherous rock that -caused his downfall, and the involuntary bath that followed, just as he -hooked the biggest fish in the pool. He is even conscious of the chill -that coursed up his spine as the stream laughed and gurgled in his -submerged ear--but he remembers, best of all, that he saved the fish, -and that he laughs best who laughs last. There is a saving clause of -compensation in every untoward event to the philosophic mind. - -[Sidenote: Mother Nature's Sanitarium] - -In "the good old summer time" thousands of weary toilers from every -station in life are leaving the home, the school, the workshop, the -office, for a few weeks of rest, recreation and recuperation. And -nowhere else can the overstrung nerves and tired muscles find surer -relief and tone than beside the shimmering lake or brawling stream. The -voices of many waters are calling them, the whispering leaves are -coaxing them, the feathered songsters are entreating them--to leave the -busy haunts of men and repair to the cool shadows and invigorating -breezes of sylvan groves and shining waters. - -[Sidenote: Balm in Gilead] - -Here, indeed, may be found a solace for every care, a panacea for every -ill, furnished without cost and without stint, from Mother Nature's -pharmacopoeia of simples: fresh air, pure water and outdoor exercise. But -while all of this is patent to the seasoned angler, the preachment of -the resources of Nature for the relief of the "demnition grind" of those -who dwell in cities cannot be too often reiterated. - -[Sidenote: Beginning of the Season] - -Trout fishing is lawful in several states during a part or throughout -the entire month of April; but unless the season is exceptionally -forward and pleasant the wise angler will lose nothing by ignoring the -privilege. - -May and June are, by all odds, the best months for brook trout fishing. -By May Day most of the streams of the Eastern States have cleared -sufficiently for fly-fishing, and their temperature has sensibly -diminished. - -[Sidenote: Signs of Spring] - -"About this time," as the almanacs say, the most interesting literature -for the impatient angler is the catalogue of fishing tackle. After a -final overhauling and inspection of his tools and tackle he is impelled, -irresistibly, to pay a visit to the tackle store for such additions to -his stock, be it large or small, as he thinks he needs, and is not happy -until his wants, real or fancied, are supplied. - -[Sidenote: Embarrassment of Riches] - -A woman at a bargain counter is a sedate, complacent and uninterested -personage compared with an angler in a tackle store at the opening of -the fishing season. He is covetous to a degree, and would walk off with -the entire stock should he follow the dictates of his inclination as to -his fancied requirements. As it is, he buys many things he will never -have any use for; but he thinks he will, all the same, and leaves the -attractive place an impoverished but happier man. - -[Sidenote: Tools and Tackle] - -Of course it is best, when one can afford it, to provide duplicate rods -and reels and a liberal supply of minor articles. But the careful -angler, with but one ewe lamb in the shape of a tried and trusty rod, -and a single, reliable click reel, with a limited but well-selected -supply of leaders and flies, will take as many fish as his prodigal -brother with a superabundant equipment. - -The length and weight of the rod depends on the character of the -waters to be fished: whether open water or a small brushy stream. Good -rods can be obtained running from nine to eleven feet and from four to -seven ounces. For narrow, shallow streams overhung with trees and -shrubbery, and where the fish are small, the lightest and shortest rod -is sufficient and most convenient. For larger streams or open water the -rod should not exceed ten feet, and six ounces. Where trout are -exceptionally large, as in the Lake Superior region or in Maine, the -maximum of eleven feet, and seven ounces will be about right for most -anglers. - -[Sidenote: The Chief Function of a Rod] - -Fly-rods built for tournament work, especially for long-distance -casting, are marvels in their way, but it does not follow that they are -adapted, or the best, for work on the stream. The essential and most -important office of a rod is that which is exhibited after a fish is -hooked--in other words, in the playing and landing of the fish. In -practical angling the act of casting, either with fly or bait, is merely -preliminary and subordinate to the real uses of a rod. The poorest -fly-rod made will cast a fly thirty or forty feet, which is about as far -as called for in ordinary angling. But it is the continuous spring and -yielding resistance of the bent rod, constantly maintained, that not -only tires out the fish, but protects the weak snell or leader from -breakage, and prevents a weak hold of the hook from giving way; and this -is the proper function of a rod. - -[Sidenote: Reel, Line and Leader] - -The reel should be a single-action click reel, the lighter the better, -if well made. The best, and in fact the only, line for fly-fishing, is -one of enameled silk, its caliber corresponding with the weight of the -rod. Only the best quality of silkworm fiber should be purchased in -leaders for sizable fish. A leader of six feet is long enough for three -flies, and one of four feet with two flies is still better. - -[Illustration: Red Throat, or Cut Throat Trout. (_Salmo clarkii._)] - -[Sidenote: Artificial Flies] - -The subject of artificial flies is a most complex one. All fly-fishers -have their favorites, with or without reason, and swear by them on all -occasions. Some confine themselves to the various hackles, others to -half-a-dozen winged flies, while still others are only satisfied with a -fly-book filled to bursting with scores of all sizes and colors. In this -connection it is as well to say that about the beginning of the century -there was a discussion in the London _Fishing Gazette_ as to what -artificial fly, in case an angler was restricted to a single one, would -be preferred for use during an entire season. The consensus of opinion -was in favor of the "March brown," with the "olive dun" as a good -second. These are both killing flies in America as well as in England -for trout fishing. - -[Sidenote: Selection of Flies] - -In addition to them the coachman, professor, Montreal, dotterel or -yellow dun, with the black, brown, red and gray hackles should be -sufficient on almost any stream, if tied in several sizes, say on hooks -Nos. 6 to 12, with a preference for the intermediate numbers. From my -experience I would be satisfied with such an assortment. Other anglers, -of course, would think otherwise, and would prefer quite a different -selection--but this is in accordance with one of the accepted and -acknowledged privileges of the gentle art. And this, at the same time, -is as it should be. One who has had more success with certain flies than -with others, all things being equal, should pin his faith to them. And -this, moreover, explains why there is such an extensive list to choose -from in the fly-tier's catalogue, which contains the preferences of many -generations of fly-fishers. - -[Sidenote: Philosophy of Artificial Flies] - -The question as to the best fly to use at certain seasons, or at any -season, is a vexed one. Whether it is the colored dressing of the fly, -or its form, that is most enticing to the fish, will perhaps never be -known, except approximately. Of the long list of named artificial flies -the choice of most anglers has been narrowed to a score or two, and for -the only reason that they have been more or less successful with them. -We are apt to look at the matter from our own viewpoint, and often -without reference to that of the fish. - -Reasoning from the appearance of artificial flies in general, it would -seem that on a fretted surface almost any one of the many hundreds -should get a rise from a fish, if in a biting mood, and, indeed, this -is in a measure true. But one swallow does not make a summer. There are -times and places when any old thing, even a bit of colored rag, will -coax a rise. I have had good success with a bit of the skin of a -chicken neck with a feather or two attached. Then there are times when -nothing but natural bait proves alluring. - -[Sidenote: Why a Trout Takes a Fly] - -We may assume as almost a self-evident proposition that a fish takes an -artificial fly under the delusion that it is a natural one, or something -good to eat--otherwise it would not take it at all. If this assumption -is correct, then it would follow that the best imitations of natural -flies or insects should be the most successful. This is, in the main, a -reasonable conclusion, though on the other hand certain flies that are -universally considered and used as good ones, do not, to our eyes at -least, bear any resemblance to any known insect--for instance the -coachman, professor and other so-called fancy flies. - -[Sidenote: The Angler's Viewpoint] - -An artificial fly on the ruffled surface of the water presents a very -different appearance to the same fly when held in one's hand, even to -our own eyes; what, then, does it look like to the fish? That's the -question. I have often attempted to solve it by diving beneath and -viewing the fly on the surface. If the water was perfectly clear and -calm, without a ripple, it simply looked like a dark fly, no matter what -its color, though I could sometimes discern the lighter color of the -wings when formed of undyed mallard or wood-duck feathers. When the -surface was ruffled it was so indistinct that a bit of leaf would have -seemed the same. A somewhat similar experiment may be performed, in a -minor degree, by placing a mirror at the bottom of a barrel of water and -viewing the reflection of the fly on the surface. - -[Sidenote: The Trout's Viewpoint] - -We can surmise that fish are not color-blind, otherwise there would be -no reason for the beautiful colors that many male fishes assume during -the breeding season. Fishes are possessed of keen vision, and possibly -have the faculty of distinguishing colors in a fly, even when on a -fretted surface, where to our eyes they are very indistinct, and where -even the form can not be well defined. - -[Sidenote: Flies in Their Season] - -In Great Britain it is the rule to use certain flies at different -seasons, that is, to employ the imitations of such natural flies as are -on the water at the time. This seems quite reasonable in view of the -fact that the trout streams there are shallow, and especially so in the -case of the chalk-streams whose bright colored bottoms may enhance the -visual powers of the fish in discerning, by the reflected light, the -form and colors of the artificial fly. - -[Sidenote: Imitations of Natural Flies] - -We may conclude, then, that as trout are in the habit of feeding on such -flies and insects as resort to, or are hatched in, the water, that the -best imitations of such natural flies, from the trout's viewpoint, would -be the most alluring. I think it goes without saying, that all past -experience has proven that the imitations of some of the commonest -aquatic insects have been the most successful under all conditions. This -would include not only the imago, but the larva, as represented by the -various hackle flies. - -[Sidenote: Dark or Light Colored Flies] - -The old rule to use light-colored flies on dark days and high or -discolored water, and darker flies on bright days, or with low and clear -water, has been followed for centuries, and in the main is true and -reliable. As some anglers have found that a reversed application of it -has been successful, at times, they are inclined to doubt it altogether. -However, they do not look at it intelligently. With clear water and a -clear atmosphere a light-colored fly will show as plainly on the surface -as a dark one to the fish below. If we gaze upward during a fall of -snow, the flakes appear quite dark, while on a level or below the eye -they appear white. Apparently, then, there are other conditions that -must be taken into account. With a sunken fly, for instance, the case is -different, for a dark fly then appears more distinct than a light one, -in clear water; but with milky or discolored water a bright fly is more -easily discerned below the surface--hence the rule. And on the same -principle smaller flies are suitable for bright days and clear water, -and larger ones for dark days and discolored water. - -[Sidenote: The Non-Rising of Trout] - -In a very interesting address delivered before the Anglers Club, of -Glasgow, Scotland, on "Why do trout sometimes not rise to the artificial -fly?" the lecturer after naming and discussing many of the reasons -usually advanced, said: - -"And what is the conclusion of the whole matter? Shortly, this--that -there is a great deal about the question that we know little or nothing -about." - -He advised his brother anglers to "Watch narrowly the facts as observed -in nature, note them down carefully at the time, compare them with -those of brother anglers on occasions such as this, and out of all -evolve theories which, when reduced to practice, will be found to have -carried us nearer to the truth." - -[Sidenote: Condition Versus Theory] - -This is very good advice freely given--and by the way advice is more -easily given than reliable information in a case like this. Nevertheless -fly-fishers should consider that a "condition, not a theory," confronts -them in the rising or non-rising of a trout to an artificial fly, and -should endeavor to ascertain, if such be possible, just what conditions -are present to account for the peculiar actions, at different times, of -those elusive creatures of the adipose fin, that according to popular -opinion seem to have as many moods as specks or spots. - -[Sidenote: A Probable Reason] - -There is one feature of this subject, however, that I have never known -to be alluded to, which is this: That the rising or non-rising of trout -may depend on the scarcity or abundance of the fish. In regions where -trout are unusually abundant I have never, in my experience, known them -to fail to rise to the artificial fly, at any time of day, or under -almost any condition of wind or weather. It is only in sections that are -much fished, and fish consequently scarce, or "educated," as some term -it for want of a better reason, that trout fail to respond to the -solicitations of the fly-fisher. - -[Illustration: Steelhead Trout. (_Salmo gairdneri._)] - -[Sidenote: Abundance of Trout] - -In the wilds of Canada I have had trout rise to my fly by the dozen, day -after day, so that all semblance of sport disappeared, and only enough -were taken for the frying-pan. In Yellowstone Lake the merest tyro can -take the red-throat trout until his arms ache, at any time of day, -beneath clouds or sunshine. And in the river below the lake one can -stand on the bank in plain sight of the trout, which, with one eye on -the angler and the other on the fly, rushes to his doom by snapping up -the tinseled lure, contrary to all conventional lore. This is an extreme -case, of course, for the trout are extremely abundant, or were so as -late as the summer of 1904. - -[Sidenote: Scarcity of Trout] - -One can imagine that in the clear and shallow streams of England, which -have been thrashed by the flies of anglers, good, bad and indifferent, -for centuries, and where trout are consequently and necessarily scarce, -or "educated," that they fail to rise--in other words they are not -always there. This, I think, is the reason that dry fly-fishing is -becoming the vogue in that country, where the angler waits patiently by -the stream until a trout rising to a natural fly proclaims its presence. -The rest is easy. - -[Sidenote: Practical Hints] - -For obvious reasons it is always best to fish down stream where there is -a current; in comparatively still water one may fish up-stream or down. -I would advise the angler, by all means, to wade, as he has more command -of the water on either hand, with plenty of room for the back cast, and -can float his flies under overhanging bushes and banks, or in the eddies -of rocks. As the water is cold at this season he should be warmly clad, -putting on two pairs of woolen socks or stockings, with rubber hip boots -or wading pants. He should move slowly and cautiously, fishing every -available spot before advancing a step. By hurrying along as some -anglers do, he soon gets heated, even in cool weather, with the result -that his nether extremities are soon bathed in a more or less profuse -perspiration, and he is altogether a "dem'd, damp, moist, unpleasant -body." To make haste slowly is the wise and proper thing in wading a -stream. It is the slow, deliberate angler who gets the trout. - -[Sidenote: A Timely Tip] - -Some streams are likely to be occasionally swollen or roiled by spring -rains or by the June rise. At such times, when not too much discolored -for fly-fishing, the angler will do well to avoid the channel of the -stream and cast his flies along the edges, where the water is clearer. -This tip may add many a fish to an otherwise scanty creel. - -[Sidenote: Likely Places] - -When the stream is at its ordinary stage, and clear, the riffles and -eddies are the most likely places at this season, and will be pretty -sure to reward the careful angler. In fishing such places the flies -should be floated over them, allowing them to sink below the surface -occasionally. In addition to the flies mentioned for May, the stone fly, -gray drake and brown drake will be found useful, especially in -localities where the May-fly or sand-fly puts in an appearance. During -the hottest days of summer, when the water is warmer, trout are more apt -to be found at the mouths of small spring brooks, or in the deepest -portions of the stream. - -[Sidenote: Management of Flies] - -Churning the flies up and down, or wiggling and dancing them, should be -avoided; the only motion, if any, should be a very slight fluttering, -such as a drowning insect might make as it floats down stream. Strike -lightly. Should the trout leap after being hooked, as it sometimes does -in the shallow water of riffles, lower the tip slightly for half a -second, but recover it immediately--in other words it is simply a down -and up movement about as quickly as it can be done. - -[Sidenote: Lowering the Tip] - -And talking of lowering the tip--it may not seem out of place to make a -few observations concerning that proceeding which some anglers do not -seem to understand, or at least do not fully appreciate. The rule of -lowering the tip to a leaping fish is a very old one, centuries old in -fact, and is founded on the experience of anglers for many generations -past. Its usefulness and reasonableness is as manifest in the twentieth -century as at any former time. - -But because some thoughtless anglers at the present day have succeeded -in landing a leaping and well-hooked fish without observing the rule, -they decry it as entirely unnecessary, and declare that it ought to be -relegated to the limbo of obsolete and fanciful notions and useless -practices. The iconoclast usually attacks his images without thought or -reason, and often in sheer ignorance. A little reflection might -enlighten him and cause him to stay his hand. - -[Sidenote: Origin of the Rule] - -The rule originated in Great Britain and pertained particularly to -fly-fishing. The very small hooks on which trout flies were tied offered -but a slight hold on the mouth of the fish, and in case that a leaping -fish threw its weight on a taut line and raised rod it was almost sure -to break away--hence the rule to lower the tip and release the tension -for a brief moment. As the fish regained the water the tip was raised -and the former tension resumed. It must be understood, however, that -"lowering the tip" does not mean to touch the water with the tip, but as -the rod is usually held at an angle of forty-five degrees, a downward -deflection of the tip for a foot will usually suffice. - -[Sidenote: They Who Differ] - -So far as my observation goes the objections to the rule have been -raised by black bass bait-fishers who use heavy rods, strong tackle and -large hooks. Under these circumstances a fish is usually so securely -hooked by a vigorous yank that the lowering of the tip, when it leaps -from the water, is not so essential, inasmuch as the angler has a cinch -on his quarry whether the line be slack or taut. - -[Sidenote: Long and Short Line] - -But even in bait-fishing, with a light rod and corresponding tackle and -a small hook, it is a wise plan to follow a leaping fish back to the -water by slightly lowering the tip, especially on a short line--with a -long line it does not matter so much, as the "give" of a pliant rod and -long line is usually sufficient to relieve the increased tension when a -fish is in the air. - -[Sidenote: Dry Fly-Fishing] - -Dry fly-fishing is the latest angling cult in England, but I do not -think that it will find many adherents in this country. For one reason, -the dry fly must be cast up-stream, which will never be a favorite -method with American anglers for well-known reasons. Then again, our -trout streams are usually swift and broken, and under these conditions -the dry fly is soon drowned and becomes a wet fly, thus subverting the -cardinal principle of dry fly-fishing. In England this method is -practiced on comparatively smooth, shallow streams with but little -current. The flies are constructed with rather large, upright wings and -spreading hackle, and often with cork bodies, to enhance their capacity -for floating and buoyancy. - -[Sidenote: Comparisons are Odious] - -While fly-fishing, wet or dry, is unquestionably the highest branch of -angling, and far preferable to bait-fishing for trout, it does not -follow that fishing with the dry fly, or floating fly, is a superior art -to fishing with the wet or sunken fly, as claimed by some of the dry -fly-fishers of England. Indeed, some of the ultra dry fly enthusiasts -have arrogated to themselves the distinction of practicing the most -artistic and sportsmanlike method of angling, and look askance, if not -with disdain and contempt, at the wet fly-fishers, whom they designate -as the "chuck and chance it" sort. - -I can not think that the position they have assumed can be justly -maintained, or that it is warranted by the facts of the case. As dry -fly-fishing is being taken up by a few American anglers, it may be well -enough to give the alleged superiority of the method some -consideration. - -[Illustration: Rainbow Trout. (_Salmo irideus_.)] - -[Sidenote: Modus Operandi] - -Some years ago the _modus operandi_ of dry -fly-fishing was explained to me, personally, by Mr. William Senior, -editor of the London _Field_. The angler waits beside the swim until a -trout betrays its whereabouts by rising to a newly hatched gnat or fly, -creating a dimple on the surface. The angler then, kneeling on one -knee, sometimes having a knee-pad strapped on, cautiously casts his -floating May-fly, with cocked wings, and anointed with paraffin or -vaseline. The fly is deftly and lightly cast up-stream, a little above -the swirl of the trout, and is permitted to float down, as naturally as -possible, over the fish. There being no response after a cast or two, -the angler switches the fly in the air to dry it, and awaits the -tell-tale evidence of a fish before again offering the buoyant lure. -Now, I cannot imagine why this method is claimed to be on a higher -plane of angling than the "chuck and chance it" method. Certainly a -knowledge of the habits of the trout is not essential, inasmuch as the -angler makes his cast only on the appearance of the fish. - -[Sidenote: The Wet Fly-Fisher] - -On the other hand the wet fly-fisher, wading down stream or up stream, -brings to his aid his knowledge of the habits and haunts of the trout, -and casts his flies over every likely spot where his experience leads -him to think a fish may lie. It is this eager expectancy, or fond -anticipation, with every cast, that makes up much of the real pleasure -of angling, and which is utterly lost to the dry fly-fisher, who waits -and watches on the bank, like a kingfisher on his perch. - -While there can be no objection to dry fly-fishing, _per se_, and -which, moreover, I welcome as a pleasing and meritorious innovation, I -feel compelled to enter a protest against claiming for it a higher -niche in the ethics of sport than wet fly-fishing. And with all due -respect for the dry fly men of Great Britain, I can not admit that they -trot in a higher class than those "chuck and chance it" fishers of -honored and revered memory: Sir Humphry Davy, "Christopher North" and -Francis Francis. - -[Sidenote: Bait Fishing] - -It is the practice of some anglers to confine themselves entirely to -natural bait in trout fishing, the favorite bait being the earthworm or -"barnyard hackle"; also grasshoppers, grubs, crickets, or bits of animal -flesh. While not so artistic, or for that matter not so successful as -fly-fishing when the streams are clear, there are times when -bait-fishing can be practiced without prejudice, and to better advantage -than fly-fishing: as when streams are rendered turbid or roily by rains. - -A capital bait is the beautifully tinted anal fin of a trout, which in -water with some current waves, wabbles and flutters in a most seductive -manner on the hook. Its effect is heightened, and its resemblance to a -living insect is more pronounced, if the eye of a trout is first -impaled on the hook through its enveloping membrane, care being taken -not to puncture the eyeball. - -[Sidenote: A Fish Story] - -I was once fishing with fin-bait in Wisconsin, early in the season when -the stream was milky, when one trout was badly hooked, the point of the -hook forcing out the eyeball, which hung on its cheek. I carefully -unhooked the fish and plucked off the eye, when the unfortunate trout -flopped out of my hand into the stream before I could kill it. I added -the eyeball to my fin-bait, and strange to say I soon caught the same -trout with its own eye! While this story may be more difficult for the -uninitiated to swallow than for the trout to bolt its own eye, it is -nevertheless true, and may be taken as proof that fish are not very -sensitive to pain. - -[Sidenote: Tools and Tackle] - -The equipment recommended for fly-fishing will answer just as well for -bait-fishing, as the baits commonly used are light. In some instances, -however, a slightly heavier or stiffer rod may be employed, especially -if the small casting-spoon or a small minnow is used for large trout. -Hooks from Nos. 5 to 7 are about right. - -[Sidenote: The Sea Trout] - -Whether the sea-trout, or salmon-trout, of the Gulf of St. Lawrence is a -different species from the speckled brook trout of the upper parts of -rivers emptying into said Gulf has been a mooted question for many -years, arguments _pro and con_ having been advanced by a number of -intelligent and observant anglers. In 1834 Hamilton Smith described it -as a new species under the name of _Salmo canadensis_, and in 1850 H. R. -Storer named it _Salmo immaculatus_. Later and better authorities, -however, have decided that it is only a sea-run form of the speckled -brook trout, _Salvelinus fontinalis_. I unhesitatingly indorse this -opinion. Many years ago Dr. W. W. Dawson and myself investigated the -matter thoroughly while salmon fishing on the Restigouche River. About -the Metapediac, and below the railroad bridge, we caught the brook trout -with its crimson and yellow spots, and near Campbellton, at the mouth of -the river, we took the fresh-run form of bright silvery coloration, with -scarcely any markings on the back and without spots. We also caught them -a little higher up the river in transition stages, when the -characteristic spots were beginning to appear, more or less pronounced. -We compared hundreds, from plain silvery form to those with bright -crimson and golden spots, but could find no structural differences. - -[Sidenote: Changes in Coloration] - -Marine fishes are very constant in coloration, the non-colored portions -being quite silvery, while fishes of fresh waters are subject to -frequent changes in hue, being much influenced in this respect by the -character of their haunts. So when the brook trout "goes to sea" it -loses its spots and takes on the silvery livery of marine fishes, but -resumes its original coloration soon after entering fresh water. - -[Sidenote: The Winninish] - -Just why the winninish of the upper St. Lawrence, which is but a dwarfed -form of the Atlantic salmon, does not also proceed to sea after the -spawning season, like its prototype, is another puzzling proposition. It -has been argued by some that the winninish is the original, or typical -species, and that the anadromous salmon is descended from individuals -that took on the seafaring habit. But such speculative theories can -never be proven. - -[Sidenote: A Virgin Trout Stream] - -Twenty years ago, Dr. W. W. Dawson, of Cincinnati--then president of the -American Medical Association--and myself were guests of Surgeon-General -Baxter, U.S.A., at his fishing lodge near Metapedia, on the Restigouche -River, New Brunswick. Twenty years ago! How time flies! Since then my -dear friends, Doctors Dawson and Baxter, have both crossed the silent -river, though it seems but a few weeks since we were casting our lines -in the pleasant places on the famous Restigouche. Indeed, that pleasant -summer seems as but yesterday, when Mrs. Baxter killed with her own rod -six salmon, running from twenty to thirty pounds, and was not more than -thirty minutes in bringing any of them to gaff. - -[Illustration: Dolly Varden Trout. (_Salvelinus parkei._)] - -One day at Campbellton, at the mouth of the river, I met Mr. Dean Sage, -of Albany, N. Y., who kindly gave me permission to fish his excellent -waters, farther up the Restigouche. I also met there Mr. Light, Chief -Engineer of the Dominion of Canada, who gave me such a glowing account -of the trout streams that had just been rendered accessible by the -Quebec and Lake St. John railway, that Dr. Dawson and myself gave up -our contemplated trip to the Nipigon, and decided to go up the Batiscan -River in accordance with the advice of Mr. Light. - -[Sidenote: The Batiscan River] - -He recommended taking with us from the Restigouche two Gaspe canoes and -canoemen who were accustomed to swift and rocky water; for the Batiscan, -he informed us, contained numerous rapids that would tax the strength -and prowess of the most experienced canoemen. We engaged two Restigouche -men to accompany us, and decided to take but one Gaspe wooden canoe, -thirty feet long, and to procure a smaller and lighter one at Quebec. - -[Sidenote: In Old Quebec] - -Arriving at that quaint and historic town, we obtained, with the help of -the American consul, Mr. Downes, a new basswood canoe, built on the -model of a birch bark, about fifteen feet in length; this we procured -from an Indian tribe near the city. Through our letter of introduction -from Mr. Light to Mr. Beemer, the contractor of the Q. & L. St. John -railway, we had no difficulty in getting transportation for our canoes -and camp equipage to the Batiscan River, which was then the terminus of -the railway. Indeed, Mr. Beemer kindly went with us to that point, to -see that we were started right on our exploration of the Upper Batiscan. -Our objective point was Batiscan Lake, some ten miles as the crow flies, -but the distance by river unknown, for its upper waters had never been -fished by white men. A railroad survey party had gone a short distance -up the stream by land, but beyond that it was a _terra incognita_ to the -angler. I questioned an old French trapper, who told me that he had been -to the lake with sled and snowshoes in winter, and had fished through -the ice; also that the trout ran up to ten pounds in weight. It was to -be a veritable voyage of discovery, and Mr. Light was quite desirous to -know something of the resources and particulars of the region, having -leased the fishing privileges from the Dominion. - -[Sidenote: Lacs du Rognon] - -Arriving at the river, I found Mr. Farnsworth--who has written so -entertainingly of the French inhabitants--established in a pleasant camp -a mile below the railroad crossing. I also met Captain Seaton, president -of a Quebec fishing club, the lessee of the Lacs du Rognon, near the -railroad crossing of the Batiscan. Captain Seaton showed me a basket of -brook trout averaging five pounds, but to my surprise he stated that -they were taken with the trolling spoon, as the trout of those -lakes--more's the pity--utterly refused to take the fly, giving as a -reason that those waters abounded in myriads of chub, on which the trout -habitually fed. - -[Sidenote: Up the River] - -We embarked in the canoes and proceeded up the river, which we found to -be a wild, rocky stream, with long rapids, up which it was impossible to -propel the canoes. This entailed the labor and delay of long portages, -making our progress extremely slow. Between the rapids were long -stretches of smooth, but very rapid water. The mountains rose up on each -side from the edge of the stream, so that the portages were on a side -hill of Laurentian rocks overgrown with moss a foot or two in depth. -Owing to these difficulties we were six days in traveling five miles, -and failed to reach Batiscan Lake, though I saw its waters from the top -of a mountain. - -[Sidenote: Trout Galore] - -[Sidenote: Batiscan Falls] - -That we found trout galore is no name for it. They were as numerous as -the black flies by day or the mosquitoes by night. And the chub were -both plentiful and gamy--great dark, round, stout fellows, weighing -sometimes two pounds, and gamier than the trout. We at last reached a -fall, or rather twin falls, aggregating some thirty feet in height, and -the most beautiful sight I have ever seen on any stream. The summit of -the fall flowed in a straight, unbroken line across the river, over a -solid ledge of rocks, with a curve as true, uniform, and unbroken as a -mill dam. The waters fell into a circular basin of considerable extent, -and then, divided by a small island in the middle of the lower fall, -plunged down again to the lower level. On this little isle were twin fir -trees of remarkable beauty and symmetry, standing like silent sentinels -in the silent Canadian forest--for no sound was ever heard except the -rushing of the tumultuous waters beneath. The absence of birds was -remarkable, only an occasional song sparrow being heard. - -Our last camp was at the summit of the fall, a few feet from its edge. -Above the fall were nothing but brook trout; not a chub to be seen; -great lusty trout from one-half to three pounds--none less, none more. -And they were too plentiful for real sport. A dozen would rise to the -single fly at once, knocking it about sometimes like a tennis ball. We -fished only a few minutes in the early morning and toward sundown, as -we took only enough to supply the camp. - -[Sidenote: Fishing on the Verge] - -Most of my fishing here was from the very verge or curve of the fall, -where the trout were playing. Strange to say, none went over, as I -ascertained by careful watching below. Indeed, there seemed to be none -in the circular basin below. I could, at least, see none, neither could -I get a rise, though I tried repeatedly. When hooked, on the verge of -the fall, the fish always started up stream. As there were two feet of -water going over the fall with a velocity of five or six miles an hour, -or more, the strength and activity of the trout can be imagined. These -trout were the most beautiful and highly colored I have ever seen; their -bellies a bright orange-red, and their sides sprinkled with gold and -intensely crimson spots, and their fins edged with jet black and pure -white. The coloration was unusually vivid and pronounced. - -[Sidenote: Lake Edward] - -From this camp we could hear all day the workmen on the railroad -blasting near Lake Edward, which was but a few miles away, and which has -since become so noted as a fishing resort. - -[Illustration: Brown Trout. (_Salmo fario._)] - -This was, in truth, a virgin trout stream. No artificial fly had ever -before fretted the surface of its pristine waters. The only sign of man -was the mark on a tree, near our camp, where a chip had been cut out by -a trapper, years before. Just above our camp was a narrow trail leading -from the cliffs to the river, but the only tracks were those of -caribou, bears, 'coons, and porcupines. - -[Sidenote: There Are Others] - -There are other species of trout in American waters that are fished for -in much the same way as for brook trout; they are the rainbow, -steelhead, red-throat, golden, Dolly Varden and Sunapee trout; also the -introduced European brown trout. These various species are being -introduced in trout waters in a number of states, so that it may be well -to briefly refer to some of their characteristics. - -[Sidenote: Rocky Mountain Species] - -In the Rocky Mountain region there are three groups of trout belonging -to the Salmo genus--the steelhead, rainbow and red-throat, or cut-throat -as it is sometimes called. They are all black spotted. In widely -separated sections of country these different species may be readily -distinguished by certain characteristics, but in other localities, where -they co-exist naturally, it is sometimes a difficult matter to -distinguish one group from another. At one time, indeed, the rainbow and -steelhead were pronounced by competent authority to be the same fish, -the steelhead being supposed to be the sea-run form of the species. At -the present time, however, they are held to be distinct species. - -The Dolly Varden, or bull-trout, belongs to a different genus -(_Salvelinus_), and is related to the brook trout of Eastern waters, -having also red spots. While the red-throat trout inhabits both slopes -of the Rockies, the others named belonged originally to the Pacific -Slope. - -[Sidenote: The Red Throat Trout (_Salmo clarkii_)] - -The red-throat trout is the most widely distributed of the Western -trouts. It inhabits both slopes of the Rocky Mountains, and, as might be -inferred from this extensive range, it varies in external appearance -more than any of the trout species. There are a dozen or more -well-defined sub-species or geographical varieties, but all have the -characteristic red splashes on the membrane of the throat. By means of -this "trademark" it may be readily distinguished from the rainbow or -steelhead trouts, both of which are also black-spotted. - -[Sidenote: Nomenclature] - -But while the red-throat trout varies considerably in contour, -coloration and markings, in different localities, it is identical in -structure wherever found. It is known by the United States Bureau of -Fisheries as the "black-spotted trout," a most unfortunate designation, -inasmuch as the rainbow and steelhead trouts are also "black-spotted." -The name red-throat is distinctive, and is preferable to the rather -repulsive name of "cut-throat" trout by which it is also known. The -red-throat trout is designated in its native waters by such names as -"trout," "brook trout," "speckled mountain trout," etc. As the Eastern -red-spotted "brook trout" is rapidly being introduced to Western waters, -the name "brook trout" should be applied only to that species. - -[Sidenote: Growth and Weight] - -Where the red-throat trout grows to a larger size than usual, as in the -Yellowstone and other lakes, it is often called "salmon-trout," and the -bull-trout of the Pacific Slope is also sometimes known by the same -name, but the only "salmon-trout" is the steelhead trout. The red-throat -trout rises to the fly more freely than the Eastern brook trout, though -in gameness and flavor it is hardly its equal. Its habits are also -somewhat different. It usually lies in pools and holes, and does not -frequent the riffles so much as the Eastern trout. In size it is -somewhat larger than the Eastern trout in streams of the same relative -width and depth, and like all trout species grows to greater weight in -lakes and large streams. I have taken them on the fly weighing from -three to five pounds in Soda Butte Lake in the Yellowstone Park, and in -Yankee Jim Canyon on the Yellowstone River. In Yellowstone Lake some are -infested with the white pelican parasite, rendering them emaciated and -lacking in game qualities; this condition, however, seems to be -disappearing somewhat, while those in the river below are well-nourished -and gamy. - -[Sidenote: Tools and Tackle] - -The same tackle and artificial flies used for the Eastern brook trout -are as suitable, as a rule, for the red-throat, though preference is -given to the stone fly, coachman, professor, black gnat, cinnamon, -Henshall, and the various hackles by Montana anglers. The red-throat -seldom breaks water when hooked, but puts up a vigorous fight beneath -the surface. As the mountain streams are usually swift and rocky and -fringed with alders, willows and other small trees, the angler must be -wide awake to land his fish and save his tackle. - -[Sidenote: The Steelhead Trout (_Salmo gairdneri_)] - -The steelhead, or salmon-trout, is the trimmest and most graceful and -the gamest of all the trout species, being more "salmon-like" in shape -and appearance. On the Pacific Coast, where it is native, and runs to -salt water, it grows to twenty pounds or more in weight, when it is -known as steelhead salmon, and many are canned under this name. Its -spots are smaller than in the other black-spotted species. It has, -sometimes, especially the males, a pink flush along the sides, but not -so pronounced as in the rainbow trout. Its color is also of a lighter -hue, with steely reflections. Its scales are somewhat larger than those -of the red-throat, but not so large as in the rainbow trout. - -[Illustration: Golden Trout of Volcano Creek. (_Salmo roosevelti._)] - -[Sidenote: As a Game-Fish] - -[Sidenote: Remarkable Growth] - -It seems to be pretty well established in Lake Superior, where it was -introduced by the United States Bureau of Fisheries, some fine catches -having been made of late years. It has also been introduced into several -states on the eastern slope of the Rockies, which seem to be very -suitable for this fine fish. In Montana I have taken it up to five -pounds. It rises eagerly to the fly, and when hooked breaks water -repeatedly like the black bass. It is very trying to light tackle, and -must be carefully handled by the angler. The flies named for the -red-throat trout are just as killing for the steelhead. Like the -red-throat it is also susceptible to bait, which in Montana is the -"rock-worm," the larva of the caddis fly. As a food fish it excels all -of the trout species as might be surmised. In fresh water lakes it -should grow to eight or ten pounds. Near Virginia City, Montana, is -located Axolotl Lake, so named from being inhabited by a species of -axolotl, but it contained no fish of any kind until stocked with a few -thousand steelhead trout fingerlings from the Bozeman Fisheries Station, -in 1902. In September, 1907, two of my friends, while trolling from a -canvas boat on this lake, caught eleven trout weighing in the aggregate -seventy pounds, the largest weighing thirteen pounds, an extraordinary -weight for a five-year-old trout. But this is easily explained when it -is considered that the trout had been feasting for several years on such -nutritious diet as these curious amphibians afforded, and in great -abundance, but which now are said to be scarce. - -[Sidenote: The Rainbow Trout (_Salmo irideus_)] - -The rainbow trout has also been introduced to Eastern waters by the -United States Bureau of Fisheries, and seems to be well adapted to ponds -of considerable extent, where water plants and grasses flourish. Such -waters seem to be more congenial than the colder mountain streams; and -moreover it has a way of disappearing from the smaller streams to seek -those of greater depth. It will thrive in warmer water than the other -trouts. The rainbow is similar in contour to the red-throat, though -somewhat deeper, and with shorter head, smaller mouth, and larger -scales. Its distinguishing feature is the broad red band along the -lateral line, common to both male and female. It is a handsome fish, -with considerably more gameness than the red-throat, but is not so -vigorous on the rod as the steelhead of the same size. Owing to its -tendency to descend streams it is particularly liable to enter -irrigation ditches, in which event its doom is sealed. As a food-fish it -is superior to the native red-throat trout. - -[Sidenote: In New Waters] - -In no new waters has the rainbow done so well as in those of Michigan -and Colorado. In the former state it has populated streams that were -once the home of the grayling, more's the pity. In Colorado, in the -Gunnison and neighboring streams, it furnishes sport galore to hundreds -of delighted anglers, who visit the locality especially for the fine -fishing. No trout surpasses the rainbow in rising to the artificial fly, -and almost any trout fly will capture it, though the silver doctor, -coachman, and the different hackles, seem to be more favored than -others. - -[Sidenote: The Dolly Varden Trout (_Salvelinus parkei_)] - -The Dolly Varden, or bull-trout, sometimes erroneously called -"salmon-trout," is the only red-spotted trout native to Western waters. -It belongs to the same genus as the Eastern brook trout, but grows much -larger. It is found only on the Pacific Slope, in both lakes and -streams, growing to twelve or fifteen pounds under favorable conditions. -In the streams it is a gamer fish than in lakes, though the larger fish -are rather lazy and logy. Compared with its Eastern relative it is -hardly so vigorous on the rod, when of similar weight, and not quite so -good for the table. - -It takes the fly readily, also any kind of natural bait, and in lakes -or broad streams succumbs to the trolling-spoon. It is not so great a -favorite as the other Western trouts, except in Alaska, where it is -abundant in all lakes and streams. - -[Sidenote: The Brown Trout (_Salmo fario_)] - -The brown trout is the brook trout of Europe, and was introduced to the -United States from England and Germany, under the auspices of the United -States Bureau of Fisheries. Those from Germany (the eggs), were donated -by Von Behr, and his name was unfortunately applied to the fish as "Von -Behr trout," also "German trout," two most unfortunate and ridiculous -names. It is the "brook trout" of Europe and "brown trout" of Great -Britain. In Germany it is "_bach forelle_," which means brook trout. -Among English-speaking people it has been known since before the day of -Walton and Cotton as "brown trout," and brown trout it should be world -without end. To rob this fine fish of its good name and substitute the -misnomers mentioned was both unwise and absurd. - -[Sidenote: Absurd Names] - -I sincerely hope that those names, together with the equally absurd name -of "black-spotted trout," as applied to the red-throat trout, will soon -be relegated to the shades of oblivion, never to be mentioned in polite -angling society. If the fish mentioned was the only black-spotted trout -inhabiting its native waters, it would be a good and suitable name, but -unfortunately its congeners, the rainbow and steelhead trouts, are also -"black-spotted" as before mentioned. The name originated, I think, about -the same time as "Von Behr." When the first eggs were taken East and -hatched the fry were called Rocky Mountain trout and California trout, -the former name being more applicable than the latter, but neither were -very suitable. Our technical knowledge of the Western trouts must have -been sadly deficient, however, when they were displaced for -"black-spotted trout." - -[Sidenote: As a Game- and Food-Fish] - -The brown trout has both reddish-brown and black spots, of a larger size -than those of its American cousins. Altogether it is a fine fish, much -prized in Great Britain, but in American waters it is hardly so gamy, -and not quite so good a food-fish as our native trouts. It grows to a -larger size than our brook trout, and will thrive in warmer water. A -variety of the brown trout, the Loch Leven, was introduced into Firehole -River, in the Yellowstone National Park, some years ago, and it is -remarkable how well they thrive in the warm geyser water. They must have -been planted in some stream in the Park tributary to the Yellowstone -River also, for I know of two being taken near Livingston, Montana, one -weighing more than ten pounds, the other about twelve. In a pond near -Bozeman, Montana, some brown trout fry were planted, and at the end of -four years two were taken weighing six pounds each, both of which were -weighed by myself. - -[Sidenote: Fly-Fishing] - -The brown trout rises well to the fly, as well if not better in American -waters than in England, and does not seem to be so fastidious as to the -color or shape of the fly offered. Any of the popular trout flies will -answer, and it seems to have an inherited fancy for the imitations of -the May-fly, the green and gray drakes, when the natural May-fly is on -the water. This fly is also known as the sand-fly. - -[Sidenote: Golden Trout of the Sierras] - -High up in the Southern Sierras, about 10,000 feet, in the neighborhood -of Mount Whitney, California, are several species or sub-species, of -"golden trout," apparently related to the rainbow trout. For beautiful -and varied coloration they excel all fishes of fresh waters and rival -those of the coral reefs of the tropics. - -[Sidenote: Varieties of Golden Trout] - -For many years the golden trout of Mount Whitney has been described at -various times by enthusiastic anglers in the sportsmen's journals, but -not until lately have these fishes been properly systematized. In the -summer of 1904 a party headed by Dr. Barton W. Evermann, under the -auspices of the United States Bureau of Fisheries, proceeded to the -locality mentioned, and thoroughly explored the different streams, and -collected hundreds of specimens of the trout inhabiting them. As a -result of this expedition the following species of golden trout have -been established by Dr. Evermann: - -Golden Trout of Soda Creek (_Salmo whitei_), - -Golden Trout of South Fork of Kern River (_Salmo agua-bonita_), - -Golden Trout of Volcano Creek (_Salmo roosevelti_). - -These trout are all small, averaging six to eight inches, but are quite -gamy and very free biters. The golden trout of Volcano Creek is the -handsomest and gamest. Of this fish Dr. Evermann says: - -"This is the most beautiful of all the trouts; the brilliancy and -richness of the coloration is not equaled in any other known -species.... In form it is no less beautiful; its lines are perfect, the -fins large and well proportioned, and the caudal peduncle strong; all -fitting it admirably for life in the turbulent waters in which it -dwells. It is a small fish, however. The largest example collected by -us was eleven and one-fourth inches in total length, and the heaviest -one weighed ten ounces." - -[Illustration: Sunapee Trout. (_Salvelinus aureolus._)] - -"As a game-fish the golden trout is one of the best. It will rise to -any kind of lure, including the artificial fly, and at any time of day. -A No. 10 fly is large enough, perhaps too large; No. 12 or even smaller -is much better. In the morning and again in the evening it would take -the fly with a rush and make a good fight, jumping frequently when -permitted to do so; during the middle of the day it rose more -deliberately and could sometimes only be tempted with grasshoppers. It -is a fish that does not give up soon but continues the fight. Its -unusual breadth of fins and strength of caudal peduncle, together with -the turbulent water in which it dwells, enable it to make a fight -equaling that offered by many larger trout." - -[Sidenote: Propagation of Golden Trout] - -In the autumn of 1906 several hundred golden trout from Volcano Creek -were brought by a fish-car to the Bozeman Fisheries Station. In the -following spring several hundred eggs were taken from a few of the -largest fish, about six inches long, and it is hoped that this beautiful -trout may be successfully propagated, if only for its handsome -coloration. - -[Sidenote: Sunapee Golden Trout (_Salvelinus aureolus_)] - -This fine fish was first described by Dr. Tarleton H. Bean, in 1887, -from Sunapee Lake, New Hampshire. It exists, also, only in one or two -ponds or small lakes in the vicinity. It is almost identical with the -European char (_Salvelinus alpinus_). It is generally supposed to be -native to the waters mentioned, but there is a possibility that it was -introduced from Europe. However that may be it is now recognized as a -different species and a fine example of American trout. It grows to -about twelve pounds in weight, but unfortunately does not rise to the -fly. I have had no experience with this fish, but Dr. J. D. Quackenbos, -who, more than any one else brought the fish to notice, says: - -[Sidenote: Not a Fly Fish] - -[Sidenote: Trolling with Smelt] - -"As far as known it does not rise to the fly.... Through the summer -months it is angled for with a live minnow or smelt, in sixty or seventy -feet of water, over cold bottom, in localities that have been baited. -While the smelt are inshore, trolling with a light fly-rod and fine -tackle, either with a Skinner spoon, No. 1, or a small smelt on a single -hook, will sometimes yield superb sport." - - - - - HIS MAJESTY: THE SILVER KING - - - - - HIS MAJESTY: THE SILVER KING - - -[Sidenote: In Florida Waters] - -In Florida the tarpon may be found during the winter east of Cape Sable -in Barnes and Cards Sounds, and in Biscayne Bay. As the water becomes -warmer, in February and March, it ascends the coasts. On the Gulf side -it appears first at Marco, back of Cape Romano, then in the vicinity of -Naples and Charlotte Harbor. Punta Rassa was formerly, and is yet, a -favorite resort for Northern anglers, but Fort Myers, twenty-five miles -above, on the Caloosahatchie, is now the principal rendezvous for tarpon -fishing from March to May. Later the silver king wanders farther north, -and during summer good fishing is abundant at any of the inlets. It is -also abundant on the Texas coast. On the east coast of Florida, Jupiter -and Indian River inlets are the best grounds for tarpon. The largest I -have ever seen were at Indian River inlet. - -The tarpon is a fish of the tropical seas and is peculiarly sensitive -to cold. I happened to be in Florida during the winters of 1886 and -1895 when most of the orange groves were killed by freezing. At Tampa -the temperature fell to 19 deg. F. As a result of the sudden chilling of -the water I saw windrows of dead fish along the shores of the bays, -especially at Charlotte Harbor. They were mostly sub-tropical fishes, -and among them were hundreds of tarpon, large and small, many upward of -a hundred pounds. - -[Sidenote: Bait Fishing] - - While the tarpon will take any kind of fish bait, - or artificial bait for that matter, especially at the inlets or up the - streams, mullet bait is generally used; and the prevalent method of - allowing the fish to swallow the bait so as to hook him in the gullet - will probably always be practiced, for it is the only sure plan to - bring him to gaff. If hooked in the mouth or tongue when trolling or - casting, he almost invariably shakes out the hook and escapes. Once in - a while, however, one will be landed in this manner, and even with the - artificial fly, in which event the honest angler feels a just pride in - his happy performance and is the envy of them all. - -[Sidenote: Fly Fishing for Tarpon] - -I have had the best sport with tarpon, as early as 1878, up the fresh -water rivers, using a salmon fly-rod and large gaudy flies. These were -the small fry, however, running from ten to forty pounds, but even at -these weights they demanded the best skill of the angler, inasmuch as -they were hooked in the mouth, and only occasionally could one be -landed. - -[Sidenote: Fishing at Mayport] - -At that time my old friend, Dr. Kenworty, of Jacksonville, Florida, was -wild over tarpon fishing at Mayport, at the mouth of St. John's River. -But the Doctor and his friends were using handlines, believing it -impossible to kill one on the rod, and moreover, thought it quite a feat -to land one with the handline, hooked in the mouth, as indeed it was. I -remember well a wonderful array of big hooks attached to a metal strip -that the good Doctor showed me as his latest invention to hold fast to a -silver king. I think it was owing to Dr. Kenworty's enthusiasm in the -matter that induced Colonel W. H. Wood, of New York, an old striped bass -angler, to go to Florida to try conclusions with the tarpon with striped -bass rod and tackle. At any rate, to Colonel Wood belongs the credit of -bringing rod fishing for tarpon into the prominence and popularity it -now holds. - -[Sidenote: The First Tarpon on a Rod] - -In the winter of 1880-1 Mr. Samuel H. Jones, of Philadelphia, while -trolling with the spoon in the Fort Pierce channel of Indian River -Inlet, hooked and landed, after a contest of two hours, a tarpon -weighing one hundred and seventy pounds with striped bass rod and -tackle. This was the first tarpon of more than one hundred pounds killed -on the rod. I was at that locality the following winter, and learned the -full particulars of the extraordinary performance from Mr. Thomas Paine -(son of Judge Paine, of Fort Capron), who was Mr. Jones's boatman on the -occasion. Afterward I received a full account of it from a son of Mr. -Jones, who was with him and witnessed the capture of the immense fish. -It is worthy of note that the fish was hooked in the mouth and not in -the gullet. Honor to whom honor is due. - -[Sidenote: Record Tarpon] - -In 1885 Colonel W. H. Wood, of New York, made rod fishing for tarpon -famous at Puntarassa. In March, 1886, I was present when he brought in -from Estero Bay his record fish of one hundred and forty-six pounds, and -two others weighing nearly a hundred each. They were hung up and -photographed by my shipmate, Judge Nicholas Longworth, of Cincinnati. - -[Sidenote: The Largest to Date] - -My friend, Mrs. T. J. Bachmann, of Florida, formerly Mrs. Stagg, of -Kentucky, was high hook for many years with her two -hundred-and-five-pound fish, which was mounted and exhibited in my -department at the Chicago World's Fair, together with one of one hundred -and ninety-six pounds caught by Mr. McGregor, of New York. Mr. Edward -vom Hofe, of New York, in 1898, caught one at Captiva Pass weighing two -hundred and eleven pounds, and Mr. N. M. George, of Danbury, -Connecticut, afterward took one at Biscayne Bay of two hundred and -thirteen pounds. - -[Sidenote: Tarpon Tackle] - -The equipment for tarpon fishing consists of a heavy striped bass rod, -seven or eight feet long, a first-class multiplying reel, 100 to 150 -yards of Cuttyhunk line of from 18 to 21 threads, and knobbed hooks, -Nos. 8-0 to 10-0. The tarpon has no sharp teeth, but the edges of its -jaws are sharp enough to cut an ordinary line, and open vertically. -Owing to this fact it is imperative that a snell of wire, whit-leather, -or of heavy braided cotton line be used. - -[Sidenote: Tarpon Bait Fishing] - -Tarpon fishing, as usually practiced, requires a level head, -considerable muscle, and a just appreciation of the tensile strength of -tackle. With no thought of disparagement, it is none the less true, that -not much real angling knowledge--as that term is understood in relation -to salmon, trout or black bass fishing--is required. The hook is baited -with mullet or other fish bait, a long cast made, and the bait allowed -to remain on the bottom until "negotiated" by the huge fish. Usually a -lot of slack line is pulled from the reel and coiled in the boat, in -order that the fish may carry off the bait without hindrance, and so be -induced to swallow it, when he is hooked in the gullet. Then the trouble -begins. Feeling the prick of the hook he vaults into the air several -feet, and continues to do so until exhausted, when he is reeled in to -the gaff or taken ashore into shallow water, the latter plan being the -best. - -[Sidenote: Pumping Them In] - -Huge fishes like the tarpon, jewfish or tuna are sooner brought to gaff -by "pumping," as it is called. It is effected in this way: The rod is -raised upward and backward and then quickly lowered to a horizontal -position, when advantage is taken of any decreased tension or slack line -by reeling it in as rapidly as possible. This operation is repeated -whenever practicable, and as often as possible. - -[Sidenote: Tarpon Reel] - -The plan of having a quantity of slack line in the boat, as mentioned, -is really not necessary with a reel of the best quality, and is open to -several obvious objections. A tarpon would not notice the slight pull on -the line from such a reel, as it renders on the slightest provocation. A -leather brake sewed to one of the bars of the reel, or one of the -patented drag-handles, is absolutely necessary in playing a tarpon, -otherwise the fingers are likely to suffer in consequence of the fierce -rushes of the fish for freedom. - -[Sidenote: A Tarpon Enthusiast] - -My good friend Major-General Eustace Hill, a retired officer of the -British army, whom I initiated in tarpon fishing, declared to me--after -an experience of thirty-five years in India, and ten summers in Norway, -salmon fishing--that the two finest sports in the world were -pig-sticking and tarpon fishing, notwithstanding he has a record of two -hundred salmon in a single season--and there you are. But the General is -one of the "strenuous" type of sportsmen. By the way his grandfather, -Admiral Keppel, the ranking officer of the British navy, died a few -years ago at the advanced age of ninety-four years; by a special Act of -Parliament he was continued in active service until the day of his -death. - -[Illustration: Tarpon. (_Tarpon atlanticus._)] - -[Sidenote: Some of His Habits] - -During the winter months the tarpon may be found in the shallow water of -bays of southern Florida, basking in the sun, under the mangroves. In -such situations many are speared, or "grained," as it is called by -native fishermen. But during the summer they may be seen by hundreds -rolling and playing on the surface, at any of the deep inlets of either -coast. At this time the angler, by trolling or surface fishing, may get -scores of strikes in an hour, but as to landing them--that is another -fish story. - -[Sidenote: Breeding Grounds] - -The tarpon breeds in the West Indies and Central America, but not, I -believe, in Florida. At all events, as a collector of fishes I have -combed the shores and rivers of Florida, with a fine-meshed seine, from -Titusville on the east coast to Tampa on the west coast, but never found -a tarpon of less size than a foot in length. If they breed in the bays -or rivers I certainly would have found some smaller ones. - -[Sidenote: A Tussle with a Tarpon] - -Late in the winter of 1892, when engaged in the preparation of the -United States Fish Commission exhibit for the Chicago World's Fair, my -duties took me to Florida to collect fishes for the purpose of making -gelatin casts of them for the great exposition. I was very desirous of -obtaining a tarpon, but the season being backward and the water cold, -none had been taken on the west coast up to that time--about the middle -of March. - -[Sidenote: Chance for a Tarpon] - -One day John Savarese, a prominent fish dealer of Tampa, informed me -that he was putting in a pound net in Sarasota Bay as an experiment, it -being the first ever introduced on the west coast of Florida. Here, -then, seemed to be my only chance of getting a tarpon, as the time -allotted for my stay in Florida was rapidly drawing to a close. Mr. -Savarese promised to give me _carte blanche_ instructions to the man in -charge when the net was ready. - -[Sidenote: Sarasota Bay] - -Accordingly, in a few days I left Tampa on the steamer for Braidentown, -on the Manatee River, at the beginning of a norther. At Braidentown I -engaged a carriage and drove across country, through the pine woods, to -Sarasota Bay, arriving at The Palms, the charming little hotel built by -good Mother Jones, who is now in Heaven. I enjoyed one of her matchless -suppers after my drive through the rain and in the face of the fierce -norther. - -[Sidenote: Interviewing the Captain] - -I found that the shanty of Captain Faulkner, who had charge of the pound -net, was adjoining the hotel grounds. I interviewed him that evening, -when he promised to go out to the net the next afternoon if the wind -abated. As I knew that the northers of Florida lasted several days, and -my time was limited, I replied that I would visit the net the next day. - -[Sidenote: The Start for the Pound Net] - -On the next afternoon the norther was in full force and the sea running -high. It required a good deal of persuasion for Faulkner to consent, but -fortunately he yielded at last to my entreaties. We embarked in a -sixteen-foot rowboat--Faulkner, a white man, a negro, and myself. The -net was two miles down the bay. The wind was behind us, so we were soon -there, drenched with spray, and quite cold. - -[Sidenote: The Expected Happens] - -The painter of the boat was made fast to one of the net stakes, and the -men got into a large bateau that was moored alongside the trap of the -net. After closing the tunnel of the net and loosening the stays they -began hauling up the trap. Then the expected happened. A tarpon leaped -high in the air in his attempt to escape, but striking one of the -stakes, he fell back again into the trap. - -"Captain!" I cried, "don't let him get away; that's the fellow I'm -after!" - -The net was swarming with fish of all kinds and sizes, from a ten-inch -mullet to a ten-foot shark. Finally Captain Faulkner got his gaff-hook -into the tarpon's gills. "What shall I do with him?" he asked. - -"Put him in my boat," I answered. - -[Sidenote: The Coveted Prize] - -Which was easier said than done, for it took the three of them to -transfer him to my craft, from which I removed the middle thwarts to -make room for his silver kingship. He was deposited on the bottom of the -boat and the men resumed work. - -[Sidenote: He Rose in His Might] - -Then the silver king rose up in his majesty and stood on his tail, -towering above me, for he was over six feet tall. I immediately grabbed -him in my arms with a grip born of desperation, for I knew it was my -last and only chance to secure a tarpon. The boat was dancing about on -the crest of the sea and the north wind howled. The palmettos on shore -lashed their broad fronds as they bent before the gale. It was a -difficult matter at best to keep one's feet, but with a slippery silver -giant in one's arms it was a wonder that we both did not go overboard. - -[Sidenote: A Slippery Customer] - -But I held on to him and got him down in the bottom of the boat. No -sooner down, however, than he was up again. This time he slipped from my -grasp and went down full length on the bottom with a noise like the -felling of an ox in an abattoir, causing the men to pause in their work -and look around. - -"Let him go!" shouted the Captain. "He'll knock the bottom of the boat -out and drown you!" - -"I'll risk it," I replied. "I won't let him go if I have to go -overboard with him. I am bound to land him in Washington if I have to -go by water." - -[Sidenote: A Wild Dance] - -I tried sitting on him then, but he would not be sat down upon, and up -he came again. Again we had it, dancing about in the slippery boat on a -raging sea. It was a medley of waltz, two-step, polka, and galop, with a -slimy silver king for a partner. He seemed to weigh a ton and to be ten -feet tall. At last I got him down again and replaced one of the thwarts -above him. I got out my knife, lifted up his immense gill cover and -severed his heart. - -The men were scooping out their fare of mullet, red-fish, and -sea-trout. The large shark, a number of smaller ones, plenty of rays, -and hundreds of other fish were still in the trap. Seeing a fine whip -ray some four feet across and as spotted as a leopard, I shouted, -"Captain, I want that whipparee!" - -[Sidenote: A Whipparee] - -[Sidenote: The Stingaree] - -They soon gaffed him and deposited him on top of my tarpon. Then -observing a huge sting ray, larger than the whip ray, I again called -out: "Cap, gaff that big stingaree!" - -"Not much," he answered. - -"Yes," I continued, "I really want him; put him in my boat." - -"You don't mean it. Why, he'll kill you." - -"I'll risk it," I said; "haul him over in my boat." - -"I'm afraid of him. His sting is six inches long!" - -I prevailed on him finally, and after much careful management they hove -it into my boat. "Look out for his sting!" cried Faulkner. "It's sure -death!" - -[Sidenote: A Scared Darkey] - -"'Fore God! Marse Doctor," said the negro, "I wouldn't stay in de boat -wid dat debbil stingaree for a hundred acres in de promise' land!" - -[Sidenote: A Blue Norther] - -But I covered the sting, the dreaded weapon, with a piece of sailcloth -and planted a foot on each side of it. The men then put their fare of -marketable fish on the top of my specimens, which kept them in place, -and then emptied the trap of the rest of the fish. Strange to say, the -large shark, at least ten feet long, was completely smothered under the -mass of fish and had to be gaffed and hauled overboard by main strength. -It was now dark, with two miles to row in the teeth of a blue norther. -We arrived at the hotel pier nearly frozen. - -"Captain Faulkner," said I, "it's ten dollars in your inside pocket if -you get my fish up to Hunter's Point by morning to meet the Tampa fish -steamer." - -The wind lulled somewhat at midnight, when they started in the -sailboat; but it took them until daylight to beat up the fifteen miles -to Hunter's Point, where my specimens were put on ice with the market -fish and taken on the steamer _Mistletoe_ to Tampa. - -[Sidenote: Sorry Plight of the Captain] - -The next day but one I went to -Faulkner's shanty, by previous appointment, for another trip to the -pound net. I found the Captain sitting by his stove in a sorry plight. -His head and face were swathed in bandages and badly swollen. - -"Why, Captain!" I exclaimed, "what's the matter? I want to go out to -the net this afternoon." - -[Sidenote: Tic Douloureux] - -"Matter enough," he replied ruefully. "I've been nearly dead with -neuralgia from going out to the net day before yesterday. Look at my -face! I wouldn't go to-day for all the fish in Sarasota Bay. You must be -made of whit-leather or whalebone!" - -Next morning the storm subsided and I returned to Tampa. At the fish -house of Mr. Savarese, I found my specimens in fine condition in an -immense icebox. We at once began to pack them for shipment to -Washington. As the tarpon lay on the floor Mr. Savarese asked, "What -will he weigh?" - -[Sidenote: A Sure Thing] - -"Well," I replied, "you may guess his weight, but I have had a -Graeco-Roman wrestling match with him and I know his weight to a pound." - -Mr. Savarese then measured him with a tape line. - -"Six feet and three inches," he announced, "and he will weigh one -hundred and fifty pounds." - -"No," I rejoined, "not so much. He might weigh your figure in a few -months with plenty of food and warmer water, but his present weight is -one hundred and twenty-five pounds." - -We put him on the scale, which he tipped at one hundred and twenty-four -pounds. - -[Sidenote: A Fair Specimen] - -The hundreds of thousands of visitors to the World's Fair who admired -the graceful proportions of this tarpon, in the gelatin cast, painted in -life colors, and hung in the Government building, little imagined the -hardships and excitement attending its capture, or the subsequent -swelled face of poor Captain Faulkner. - - - - - FLORIDA FISH AND FISHING - - - - - FLORIDA FISH AND FISHING - - -[Sidenote: At the Yuletide] - -At the yuletide, or during the Christmas holidays, the lakes and streams -of the North and West are locked fast in the icy chains of winter. The -waters are then a sealed book to the angler, who, unless he indulges in -the questionable sport of fishing through the ice, is consoled only by -retrospective pleasures when overhauling his rods and flybooks. Not so, -however, in the sunny waters of Florida, where fishing is, on the whole, -at its best at the time of the Christmas festivities, if such a season -can be realized by the Northern angler amid the profusion of fruits, -flowers, and foliage. - -[Sidenote: A Pleasant Transition] - -To one accustomed to the merry jingle of sleigh bells and to coursing -swiftly, steel shod, over the frozen pools he loves so well, it is -really a marvelous, but pleasing, transition to be able to cast his bait -or flies during the season of the yuletide. - -[Sidenote: Climate of Florida] - -Florida has one of the finest and most genial continental winter -climates in the world. One can live in the open air the winter through, -without discomfort, as it seldom rains during that season, and therein -lies the great and lasting benefit to the invalid who requires an -open-air life and nature's great restorers, fresh air, warm sunshine, -moderate exercise and sound, refreshing sleep. He will be told that -Florida has a damp climate by his physician who has never been in the -state, and will be advised to go to a dry climate. But the dampness of -Florida is not an exhalation from the soil, which is dry sand, but is -the humid, salt air from the sea, which with the balsamic fragrance of -the pines, conduces to the health and well-being of the invalid, and to -the pleasure and enjoyment of the angler and sportsman. - -[Illustration: Sheepshead. (_Archosargus probatocephalus._)] - -[Sidenote: Better than the Mediterranean] - -[Sidenote: Good Shooting] - -I have suffered more from raw, chilly weather in the much-lauded winter -climates of southern France, Italy, and even Morocco, than in southern -Florida. And while the shooting along the Mediterranean in winter is -very fair for the red-legged partridge, migratory quail and snipe, it is -not to be compared with the shooting to be had in Florida, either for -abundance or variety of game. In fact, Florida is hardly excelled by any -state in the Union in its possibilities of fishing and shooting. And -then these sports can be practiced at a time when the streams and lakes -of the North are bound in icy fetters, and the woods and fields buried -beneath the hibernal mantle of snow. - -[Sidenote: Florida Fishing] - -The angler can hardly go amiss in any section of Florida for his -favorite sport. Wherever there is reasonably pure or uncontaminated -water he will find some species of the finny tribe. And the true angler, -he who loves the sport for its own sake, can be satisfied so long as his -tackle is commensurate with his quarry. With his stout tools and tackle -he enjoys the phenomenal leaps of the tarpon, or the leviathan struggles -of the jewfish. With his delicate split-bamboo wand, silken line, -gossamer leader and fairy flies, he enjoys equally well, perhaps more, -the wary bream or crappie of the fresh waters. Better still, with -suitable tackle the acknowledged game fish, _par excellence_, of -America, the black bass, will yield him sport galore. - -[Illustration: Cavalla. (_Carangus hippos._)] - -[Sidenote: The Sheepshead (_Archosargus probatocephalus_)] - -The lover of sheepsheading will find his quarry about the piling of old -wharves or about the oyster reefs, while his bait--fiddler crabs--abound -in myriads on the beaches. I once saw the catch of a man who took three -hundred on a single tide from Summerlin's cattle wharf at Puntarassa. He -should have been indicted, tried and convicted by a jury of honest -anglers and sentenced to a term of imprisonment by a judge of fair -sport. The sheepshead, with its human-like incisors, is very adroit at -nibbling the bait from the hook, and must be circumvented by a quick, -sharp turn of the wrist upon the least provocation or intimation of its -intentions; this will drive the hook into its well-paved jaw six times -in ten. When hooked, the sheepshead makes strenuous efforts to reach the -bottom, which is very trying to a light rod. The fish should be kept -near the surface until the spring of the rod compels it to give up the -contest. A school of sheepshead, in their striped suits, reminds one of -a gang of prison convicts, begging their pardon for the comparison; of -course all comparisons are odious. The same rod and tackle hereafter -recommended for cavalli, etc., answers for sheepshead. - -[Sidenote: The Cavalli (_Carangus hippos_)] - -The cavalli, or jack, with its second cousins, the runner, the horse-eye -jack, the leather jack, amber jack and the pompanos, are closely allied -to the mackerels, and all are game-fishes. The cavalli can be taken with -the fly, bait, or trolling-spoon, and when hooked puts up a vigorous -fight. It is a handsome silvery fish, bound in blue and yellow, and can -be found about the inlets and tideways. In rare instances it reaches -twenty pounds in weight, but is usually taken from two to ten pounds. -Ordinary black bass tackle is suitable for the cavalli, with a sinker -adapted to the strength of the tide. For baits, any small fish, as -anchovy and pilchard, will answer, while shrimp and cut bait can also be -used. Gaudy and attractive flies are the best for fly-fishing, which can -be practiced from piers, a boat, or from the points of inlets. The most -popular way of fishing is by trolling in the channels, when a spoon with -but a single hook should be used. - -[Sidenote: The Sea Trout (_Cynoscion nebulosus_)] - -The sea-trout is a surface-feeding fish, and a game one. It is not a -trout, of course, but is akin to the Northern weakfish, and is called a -trout, by courtesy, because of its black spots. It takes the fly because -it cannot help it, and will give the angler ample exercise with a light -rod before it is landed. Being more high-minded than the sheepshead, it -does its fighting on the surface. The sea-trout is not a bushwhacker nor -yet a guerilla. It sometimes runs up the streams to fresh water. - -[Illustration: Sea Trout. (_Cynoscion nebulosus._)] - -[Sidenote: The Spanish Mackerel (_Scomberomorus maculatus_)] - -The Spanish mackerel is not a whit behind the sea-trout in gameness, or -in its aptitude or fancy for the feathers and tinsel of an artificial -fly. It is the trimmest built fish that swims, and always reminds me of -a beautiful racing yacht. It feeds and fights on the surface and in the -open, displaying its silver and blue tunic with gold buttons to good -advantage. They move in battalions along the outer shores during winter, -but in March and April enter the inlets in companies, and then afford -fine sport to the angler. - -[Sidenote: Shore Fishing] - -When the Spanish mackerel is running into the bays and inlets, it is -often accompanied by the sea-trout (spotted weakfish). Both fishes are -surface feeders and take bait or the artificial fly eagerly, as stated. -They run in schools at this season, and are readily seen as they plow -along the surface, creating quite a ripple. - -The fishing at this time is practical from wharves or the points of -inlets and passes. - -The long piers at Port Tampa and St. Petersburg on the west coast are -favorite places. The fishing is done on the flood tide, mostly, but -often at the last of the ebb. No special directions are needed when the -fish are running in schools, except to keep the bait or fly in constant -motion on the surface--the fish will do the rest. - -Both are game-fishes of high degree, and the angler will have all he -can attend to after hooking one on light tackle. As food fishes they -are excellent. I prefer to fish from the sand-spits at the mouths of -inlets, or if near a pier to fish from a boat moored alongside, as the -fish are not so likely to see one, and they are more easily landed. - -[Sidenote: Bait Fishing] - -Ordinary black bass tackle is quite suitable for either fish, with fly -or bait. Braided linen lines are preferable, however, to silk ones, as -the latter soon rot in salt water. A gut leader about four feet long and -snelled hooks, Nos. 1 to 3, are all right for bait-fishing. The best -bait is a small sardine, anchovy or mullet, though the casting spoon, -with a single hook, or a pearl squid of small size may be used if kept -in constant motion on the surface. - -[Sidenote: Fly-Fishing] - -For fly-fishing a single fly is sufficient, of any bright pattern, with -some gilt or silver tinsel on the body, as the silver doctor, tied on -No. 3 hooks. A long-handled landing-net is indispensable. - -[Illustration: Spanish Mackerel. (_Scomberomorus maculatus._)] - -[Sidenote: The Kingfish (_Scomberomorus cavalla_)] - -The kingfish--not the fish known by that name in Northern waters, but a -second cousin to the Spanish mackerel--is found along the reefs from -Cape Florida to Boca Chica. It is one of the principal food fishes of -Key West, and is taken by the fishermen trolling with a strip of bacon -rind, which is something in the nature of an indignity, for it is a -grand game-fish on the rod, and will take fly or bait on long casts. It -grows much larger than the Spanish mackerel, often to twenty pounds or -more, and is of a more somber hue. Its cousin, the cero, is very similar -in size and appearance, but has dark spots along its graceful sides. All -of this genus are among the best for the table, as all real game-fishes -are. - -[Sidenote: The Redfish (_Sciaenops ocellatus_)] - -The best member of the drum family is the redfish, or channel bass. It -is one of the common game-fishes of the brackish water bays on either -coast. It is a handsome fish with a coat of old red gold and a vest of -silver and pearl. It is characterized by a large black spot near the -tail; sometimes there will be two spots, and occasionally these are -split up into a half dozen. While the redfish is very susceptible to -bait it often rises to the fly, if a large and gaudy one. In either -event it offers a stubborn resistance when hooked, and when of large -size--from twenty to forty pounds--a good strong rod is a _sine qua -non_, though I once killed one on a Henshall rod of eight ounces, which -was fully thirty-five pounds in weight. Most of the fish-scale jewelry -and artificial flowers are made from the scales of redfish. - -[Illustration: Fig. 1. Kingfish. (_Scomberomorus cavalla._) - - Fig. 2. Cero. (_Scomberomorus regalis._)] - -[Sidenote: Groupers and Snappers] - -[Sidenote: Rag-Time Dude] - -All of the groupers, the red and black, the scamp and gag, are -game-fishes worthy of the steel of the angler, and grow to goodly size, -twenty to forty pounds. They inhabit comparatively deep water about the -inlets, or along the outer shores and keys, especially in rocky -situations. Being bottom feeders they must be taken with natural bait, -though the trolling-spoon has its attractions. Those named are rather -sober in their garb, which is more or less marbled or spotted with -black, but some of the groupers about Key West are remarkably handsome -fishes, and are much given to very gay and bizarre attire; their coats, -like Joseph's, being of many colors. They also bear more aristocratic -names, as witness: John Paw, Nassau, Hamlet, Cabrilla, etc. But the dude -of the family is the niggerfish, which is a rag-time dandy, always in -full dress for a cake walk. - -The snappers are worthy members of the finny race. The red snapper is -the most widely known, commercially, being shipped from Pensacola and -Tampa to all Northern cities. It is a large, handsome fish, dressed, -like Mephistopheles, from snout to tail in scarlet. As it is taken only -in deep water, on the snapper banks, by hand lines, it is of no -importance to the angler. But the gray, or mangrove snapper, is a wary, -active fish and good game. It lurks under the mangroves and must be -fished for cautiously, when it will rise eagerly to the fly, and on -light tackle is no mean adversary. Its usual weight is from one to -three pounds. - -[Sidenote: The Gay Snappers] - -The lane snapper, dog snapper, yellowtail and schoolmaster, are fine pan -fishes, clothed in royal raiment, and frequent the channels amid the -coral reefs near Key West, where they are readily taken with sea -crawfish bait. The muttonfish is larger and an esteemed table fish, and -with the other snappers is like the lilies, of which we are told, -"Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." It is a -genuine pleasure to the observant angler to capture one of these fish, -if only to gaze upon its beauties, and watch the play of prismatic -colors as reflected in its gorgeous attire. Fishing with light tackle -for these lovely denizens of the coral banks, with one's boat rising and -falling on the rhythmic swell of the pure emerald green sea, is both a -joy and a delight. - -[Sidenote: The Ladyfish (_Albula vulpes_)] - -The highflyers, or finny acrobats, are the tarpon, kingfish, ladyfish -and ten-pounder. The first-named is so well known that further mention -here is unnecessary, and moreover I have accorded it a special article, -for it trots alone in its class; but while the ladyfish and ten-pounder -are only a couple of feet in length, they are still worthy to be named -in connection with his silver majesty. They are built for aerial as well -as for submarine navigation, and dart so quickly from one element to the -other that it is somewhat bewildering to watch one at the end of a line. -Twenty-five years ago I compared the ladyfish to a "silver shuttle," for -such it appeared in its efforts to escape when hooked. - -[Sidenote: The Ten-Pounder (_Elops saurus_)] - -The angler visiting the region of Biscayne Bay will find considerable -confusion existing, not only among Northern tourists, but among the -residents, concerning the proper identification of the ladyfish and -ten-pounder. They are two silvery, spindle-shaped fishes that resemble -each other very closely in size, general outline and appearance, and are -known as the ladyfish or bonefish, and the ten-pounder or bony-fish; the -latter is also sometimes called Jack Marrigle in Bermuda, and both -fishes are not infrequently alluded to as "skip-jack." They are -game-fishes of a high order and of equal degree. - -The confusion alluded to has been aired in our angling papers for -several years, sometimes with photo-illustrations of the fishes -concerned, which, however, only served to make confusion worse -confounded. For instance, I remember one communication with an -illustration of the ladyfish, but which was stated in the text to be -the bonefish and _not_ the ladyfish. - -[Sidenote: Confusion of Names] - -This confusion of names arose originally from the fact that the names -bone-fish and bony-fish were applied indiscriminately by native -fishermen to both ladyfish and ten-pounder; indeed, the names ladyfish, -ten-pounder, and their synonyms bonefish and bony-fish date back to our -earliest history. In Natal it is called "springer." - -[Illustration: Redfish; Channel Bass. (_Sciaenops ocellatus._)] - -[Sidenote: Of Ancient Age and Lineage] - -Their scientific names were both bestowed by Linnaeus more than two -hundred years ago. Catesby, in 1737, called the ladyfish of the Bahamas -"bonefish," while Captain William Dampier, one of the early explorers, -called the bony-fish of the Bahamas "ten-pounder." While the two fishes -are both allied to the herring tribe, they belong to different families, -though the young of both species undergo a metamorphosis, or pass -through a larval stage, in which they appear as ribbon-shaped, -transparent bodies, totally unlike their parents. - -[Sidenote: Nomenclature] - -As just stated, they belong to entirely different families. The ladyfish -(_Albula vulpes_), or bonefish, as it may be called, is the only fish in -its family (_Albulidae_), while the ten-pounder (_Elops saurus_), or -bony-fish, belongs to the tarpon family (_Elopidae_), and like the tarpon -has a bony plate between the branches of the lower jaw (hence -bony-fish), which bone does not exist in the ladyfish. The proper -identification of the two fishes is really easier than to distinguish -between the two species of black bass, or to differentiate a pike from a -pickerel. - -[Sidenote: Differentiation] - -The most pronounced difference is in the conformation of the mouth. The -ladyfish has an overhanging, pig-like snout, the mouth being somewhat -underneath, while the ten-pounder has a terminal mouth, that is, with -the upper and lower lips meeting in front, the same as in most fishes. -The scales of the ladyfish are nearly twice as large as those of the -ten-pounder, otherwise, as to the general contour, silvery appearance, -and shape and disposition of fins the two species are much alike to the -ordinary observer. So, if they are called ladyfish and ten-pounder, -their proper names, and not bonefish or bony-fish, the confusion at once -disappears. - -[Illustration: Red Grouper. (_Epinephelus morio._)] - -[Sidenote: Tools and Tackle] - -Black bass tackle, the rod not less than eight ounces, is sufficient for -either ladyfish or ten-pounder. Sproat hooks, Nos. 1 to 3, on long gut -snells if no leader is used, are large enough, for both fishes have -rather small mouths. Usually no sinker, beyond a small box-swivel, is -required when fishing on the flood tide at inlets, unless the tidal -current is very strong, when it may become necessary to use one of -suitable weight. The best fishing is at the mouths of inlets during the -flood tide, when the fish are feeding on beach fleas, pompano shells, -shrimps and other crustaceans which roll in on every wave, and are the -best baits to use. A small fish, an inch or two long, also makes a good -bait. The smallest casting-spoon, with a single hook, or a small shell -squid, may often be employed with advantage, as well as a small, bright -artificial fly. - -The fishing may be practiced from a boat anchored just within the -inlet, or from the sand-spits at its mouth. At other stages of the -tide, especially at high water slack, good fishing may be had in the -shallow water of grassy flats and sandy shoals, by making long casts, -for in such situations these fishes are quite shy. - -[Sidenote: The Snook (_Centropomus undecimalis_)] - -The snook is a good game-fish, strong and active, rises to the fly in -shallow water, and will take any kind of fish or crab bait, or the -trolling-spoon. It is shaped somewhat like the pike-perch, with the -flattened head and jaws of the pike minus its sharp teeth. It is attired -in a silvery mantle with a broad, black stripe running along the side -from head to tail. It is a fair food-fish if skinned instead of scaled. -It is known as snook on the east coast, and as rovallia on the west -coast, a corruption of its Cuban name, robalo. It grows to two or three -feet and twenty to thirty pounds. Heavy black bass, or light striped -bass, tackle is necessary to withstand its fierce rushes when hooked. - -[Sidenote: The Jewfish (_Garrupa nigrita_)] - -And last, but not least, comes the jewfish, the Gargantua of the water, -though clothed in a vesture of modest blackish gray. It is somewhat like -a colossal black bass in contour and appearance, and in fact a closely -allied species, the jewfish of the Pacific, is called black bass on the -coast of southern California. The David who slays this Goliath of the -deep should be proud of his achievement, if it is killed on the rod. -From twenty to one hundred pounds is about the usual limit of -rod-fishing for the jewfish, though a few have been killed on the rod -upward of two hundred or three hundred pounds at Catalina Island on the -California coast. - -[Illustration: Mangrove Snapper. (_Lutianus griseus._)] - -[Sidenote: A Good Food-Fish] - -[Sidenote: Some Big Ones] - -At any deep inlet of the west coast of Florida, or about Key West, they -may be found, but never in great numbers. Unlike the tarpon, the jewfish -is an excellent fish for the table, and is greatly esteemed at Key West, -where it is cut in steaks and fried in batter, when it is very -toothsome. I helped capture one on a shark line at Jupiter Light on the -east coast in 1878 that weighed three hundred and forty pounds on the -light-house steelyard, and United States Senator Quay was a witness to -the weighing. I was also _particeps criminis_ in taking on a shark line -another that weighed three hundred pounds, at Little Gasparilla inlet, -on the Gulf coast, in the same year. And farther up the coast, at -Gordon's Pass, near Naples, I killed a number on the rod that weighed -from twenty to sixty pounds. A decade ago the south shore of this inlet, -under the palmetto trees which grew on the steep bank, was a noted place -for jewfish, and much frequented by Col. Haldeman and other Kentucky -gentlemen who had winter residences at Naples. - -Another jewfish, a tropical species (_Promicrops itaiara_), growing -even larger than the one named, is also found in Florida waters. - -[Sidenote: Catching Suckers] - -I do not mean the universal and ubiquitous sucker so well known from -Maine to California, but the so-called shark-sucker, suckfish or remora. -Perhaps every genuine American boy has exercised his proud privilege of -catching suckers in the glad springtime, and some have doubtless -continued the sport in later life in Wall Street and other similar -fishing localities. But very few have ever caught the shark-sucker or -remora. To be exact I never knew of any one but myself who ever took one -with hook and line. - -[Sidenote: How It Happened] - -It happened in this way. My boat was anchored in Sarasota Bay, Florida, -when one day I was examining the pintles and rudder hinges before -sailing, when I noticed several remoras attached to the stern of the -vessel. With a hook and hand-line and venison for bait I caught them -all, four of them, in less than four minutes, for they were exceedingly -voracious. When the bait was dangled near one he immediately left his -anchorage and seized it. - -[Illustration: Fig. 1. Ten Pounder. (_Elops saurus._) - - Fig. 2. Ladyfish. (_Albula vulpes._)] - -[Sidenote: The Remora (_Remora remora_)] - -[Sidenote: A Convenient Device] - -The remora is one of the most interesting fishes known to science. Its -first dorsal fin is developed as a sucking disk of an oval shape on the -top of the head and nape. It is formed of a series of thin plates, or -laminae, overlapping like the slats of a Venetian blind, and by which it -can firmly attach itself to a comparatively smooth surface. I have -seldom caught a shark or a ray that did not have one or more attached to -its skin. When a shark seizes his prey, and is cutting it up with his -terrible teeth, the remora is quick to discover any fragments of the -feast and profits by it, when it again returns to its anchorage. It does -no harm to the shark, for it is not truly parasitic, like the lamprey, -but uses its host as a means for transportation and profit, like the -politician in the band wagon. - -[Sidenote: As a Fishing Device] - -The remora is easily removed from its attachment by a quick, sliding -motion, but resists a direct pull to a remarkable degree. Owing to this -fact the natives of tropical countries are said to utilize it for -catching fish, by fastening a ring and line to its caudal peduncle and -casting it into the water to become attached to other fish, when both -are hauled in. I had often read of this, and once I tried it, but caught -only a loggerhead turtle of twenty pounds. The strain on the remora, -however, was so demoralizing to its physical economy that I was fain to -kill it. - -[Sidenote: Phosphate Fishing] - -And while on the subject of queer fishing I recall another instance. -Commander Robert Platt, formerly of the U. S. Fish Commission steamer -_Fish Hawk_, and I were once seining in Peace Creek, above Punta Gorda, -Florida. The crew hauling the long seine were much bothered and hindered -by quantities of ragged rock getting entangled in the seine. This -afterward proved to be phosphate rock of a valuable grade, which was -mined from the creek, the land on each shore having been purchased for a -song by some enterprising party. When in Washington a year or two later -I met Captain Platt, who, holding up his hands, exclaimed: - -"Do you know what that ragged rock in Peace Creek was?" - -"Yes, phosphate rock of a high quality." - -[Sidenote: A Missed Opportunity] - -"Well, do you know what precious chumps we were not to have purchased -the land on each side of the creek?" - -"Yes, Captain 'Bob'; and I met a gentleman on the train yesterday who -was the party who bought it. He was on his way to Washington to have -Boca Grande made a port of entry for shipping the stuff to Europe. He -also informed me that he had sold a third of his interest for sixty -thousand dollars!" - -"Well, I'm d--lighted to hear it. Just our luck!" - -"Yes, Captain Bob," I returned, "it was another missed opportunity. But -we were not looking for phosphate rock or goldfish; we were simply -looking for ripe mullet. It all depends on the viewpoint." - -[Sidenote: Spearing the Jumbos] - -I was once cruising in Barnes Sound and had for a pilot Captain Bill -Pent, of Key West, who was fully acquainted with the numerous shoals and -mud flats of those shallow waters. Our experiences, as might be -imagined, were both novel and varied. After seining the coves and shores -for specimens of the smaller fishes, we would give our attention to -those of larger growth, including such jumbos as barracuda, tarpon, -jewfish, sharks and sawfish. - -[Sidenote: Florida "Grains"] - -Some of these were taken with rod and line, but other means were -resorted to for the largest ones. Pent was an expert in the use of the -"grains," a two-pronged spear much employed in Florida. It has a long -and strong line attached to the spear, with a handle for throwing which -becomes detached when a fish is struck. Standing in the bow of the dory, -which I would paddle cautiously up to the fringe of bushes along the -shore, Pent would hurl the grains twenty, thirty or even forty feet, and -seldom failed to plant the barbs firmly in the back of a huge fish as it -lay sunning itself under the mangroves--then there was something doing -for ten or fifteen minutes. - -[Illustration: Snook; Rovallia. (_Centropomus undecimalis._)] - -[Sidenote: Some Big Fish] - -The largest barracuda we captured measured six and one-half feet, the -largest tarpon seven and one-quarter, an immense sawfish nineteen, and a -man-eating shark fifteen feet. But the liveliest tussle we had was with -a devil-fish of moderate dimensions, eight feet across the pectoral -fins--I have seen them of twenty. Following the lead of Victor Hugo, the -octopus is often called "devil-fish," but the name rightly belongs to -this fish, the largest of the rays (_Manta birostris_). - -[Sidenote: Strenuous Fishing] - -The floundering and struggling of one of these aquatic giants, in -shallow water, was something to be remembered, while the erratic -pitching and lunging of the dory as it followed the lead of the finny -motor was, to say the least, exciting. These large fishes were towed -ashore, killed outright and dissected, in order to ascertain something -in relation to their diet and time of spawning. - -[Sidenote: Porpoise Calves] - -One day we saw a porpoise in very shallow water playing with her two -calves, which were about three feet long. The water scarcely covered -them. Being somewhat curious as to the result, I took the rifle and sent -a bullet ricocheting across the water just behind her. In great alarm -she gathered a calf under each flipper, and the way she made the water -fly with her fluked tail propeller in her eagerness to reach deeper -water was amusing, but not the less remarkable. I could observe her -plainly for a hundred yards, and when she at last disappeared in deep -water she was still hugging her calves. - -[Sidenote: A Pretty Baby] - -Once at Mullet Key, in Tampa Bay, a man at the quarantine station shot a -porpoise that was floundering in the water. I saw that it was about -dead, and procuring a boat I towed it ashore. It was a female and seemed -to be gravid. I performed the caesarian operation and found a single baby -porpoise nearly two feet long. It was a beautiful animal, the upper half -being slate color and the lower half a fine rosy pink. It was sent with -other specimens to Washington and a cast made of it. - -[Illustration: Jewfish. (_Garrupa nigrita._)] - -[Sidenote: A Manatee or Sea Cow (_Trichechus latirostris_)] - -Another day while sailing in Barnes Sound we ran across three manatees -feeding on a plant resembling eel grass. As we kept very quiet we were -almost upon them before they discovered the boat--then they stood not on -the order of going, but went at once, and went in a hurry. The wake they -left in the shallow water was equal to that of a large steam tug. For -such ungainly looking creatures--the body nearly as large as that of a -horse--they were remarkably active in escaping, but made a fearful fuss -in doing so. I had several times seen manatees in the St. Lucie River, a -tributary of Indian River, but nowhere else, and was much surprised to -find them in Barnes Sound. - -[Sidenote: Angling Along the Florida Keys] - -About Biscayne Bay the angler will find fishing for large-mouth black -bass, bream, etc., on Miami River, and at Arch Creek above, and Snapper -Creek below. For salt-water fishing he will have all he can attend to at -almost any of the inlets and passes between the keys from Cape Florida -to Bahia Honda. Among the best are Bear Cut, Caesar's Creek, Angelfish -Creek, and the channels between Rodriguez, Tavenier, Long, Indian, -Mattecumbe, Vaccas and other keys. He will find the various channel -fishes, and groupers, snappers, cavalli, kingfish, cero, etc., in -addition to ladyfish, ten-pounders and a host of others. If he visits -Cocoanut Grove, my old friend, Charles Peacock, will put him on to the -best fishing grounds. - -[Sidenote: Angling on the East Coast] - -The best salt-water fishing on the east coast is at the various inlets, -though good fishing is found also in the lagoons and in the fresh water -streams emptying into them. My own experience begins with Mayport at the -mouth of St. John's River. Here and at most of the inlets to the south -can be found redfish, spotted weakfish or sea-trout, sheepshead, drum, -snooks, together with such smaller species as pinfish, pigfish, -croakers, flounders, etc. - -[Sidenote: In the Lagoons] - -At St. Augustine there is fair fishing at the inlet and in Matanzas -River. Near Ormond and Daytona on Halifax River, and below at Mosquito -Inlet, the angler will be well rewarded. Fair fishing may also be found -on Hillsboro River near New Smyrna and Oak Hill. Some sport is still to -be had in the neighborhood of Titusville, on Banana River and Banana -Creek. - -[Illustration: Fig. 1. Shark Sucker. (_Remora remora._) - - Fig. 2. Enlarged view of sucking disk.] - -Back of Rockledge are lakes Poinsett and Wilder, abounding in black -bass. Several places on Indian River furnish excellent fishing, as -Sebastian River, Indian River Inlet, Gilbert's Bar, and the waters -around Jupiter Light. Farther south, on Lake Worth, Hillsboro' and New -River inlets, the fishing is still better, and the fishes larger. - -[Sidenote: Angling on the West Coast] - -St. Andrew's Bay and neighborhood at the northern end of the peninsula -will not disappoint the angler. Farther south, in the vicinity of Cedar -Key, and at the several rivers below--Withlacoochee, Crystal, Homosassa, -Anclote, etc., and at the passes on Clearwater Harbor, the smaller -species abound, with occasional big ones. Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Lemon -Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Marco and other bays, with their numerous inlets -and passes and tributaries are not excelled in the world for the variety -and excellence of their game-fishes, large and small. - -[Sidenote: Tools and Tackle] - -Tarpon and jewfish require special rods and reels. The largest groupers, -barracudas, amber jacks, bonitos, etc., require striped bass rods, reels -and lines, while most of the other fishes mentioned may be easily -handled with a good ash and lancewood black bass rod of seven or eight -ounces, multiplying reel and corresponding tackle. Sproat hooks of -various and suitable sizes cannot be excelled for any kind of Florida -fishing, if of the best quality. Almost any kind of bait, natural or -artificial comes in play--mullet, pilchard or anchovy for -surface-feeding fishes; crabs, fiddlers, beach fleas and cut bait for -bottom feeders. Trolling or casting-spoons or spinners can often be -substituted for other baits. - -[Sidenote: With the U. S. Fish Commission] - -During the winter of 1889-90 I had charge of a scientific expedition to -the Gulf of Mexico with the schooner _Grampus_, of the U. S. Fish -Commission. I did the shore work of collecting fishes and fish food -along the west coast of Florida, from Biscayne Bay around Cape Sable and -northward to Tampa Bay, and secured nearly three hundred species of -fishes and many crustaceans. For this work I had a mackerel seine boat, -thirty-four feet long, rigged with foresail and mainsail. At night I -fastened a sprit as a ridge pole between the two masts, and with an -awning from the _Grampus_ I housed the boat in completely. - -[Sidenote: Sport with Jewfish] - -One sunny morning I sailed from John's Pass and entered Gordon's Pass, a -few miles south of Naples, about noon. While the men were preparing -dinner and getting the seines and collecting outfit in readiness, I had -some fine sport with jewfish, running from fifteen to forty pounds, on a -ten-ounce rod. A few hundred yards from the mouth of the pass, on the -south shore, where the bank is very steep and crowned with palmettos, -the water is quite deep, and was a favorite resort for jewfish, as -heretofore mentioned. - -[Sidenote: A Good Haul] - -After dinner we proceeded to haul the long seine, and just as it was -landed, filled with all manner of fishes, four negroes came driving up -the beach in a mule cart, two men and two women, to where the seine was -being hauled ashore. They leaped out of the cart at once, consumed with -curiosity as to the contents of the seine. The oldest woman was an -immense specimen, weighing about two hundred and fifty pounds, and with -a beam as broad as the cart. The other woman was a comely mulatto girl, -her daughter. I had just gaffed a small horned ray, a devil-fish, about -four feet across its wing-like pectoral fins. - -The fat and dusky gargantuan female came waddling down the beach as -fast as her short legs could carry her. On seeing the rather formidable -and frightful looking ray, she recoiled in horror and exclaimed: - -[Sidenote: The Darkeys and the Devil-fish] - -"Good Lawd! Wat is dat ting, mistah?" - -"That's a devil-fish, Auntie," I replied. - -"Fo' de lan's sake! It sho' luks lak de debble! Luk, Rastus; luk at his -ho'ns and tail!" - -Then turning to her daughter, she said: "Go 'way, honey; don't come -anigh dat ugly varmint; he sho' swallow yo' or prod yo' wid his ho'ns." - -[Illustration: Fig. 1. Florida Barracuda. (_Sphyraena barracuda._) - - Fig. 2. Northern Barracuda. (_Sphyraena borealis._)] - -I assured her and the other terror-stricken darkies that no harm -would befall them provided they did not approach too near. Turning to -the fat woman, I asked: "When did you leave Kentucky, Auntie?" - -"Good Lawd, mistah! How'd yo' know I fum Kaintucky? You must be cunjah -man." - -[Sidenote: Old Kentucky] - -"Why, Auntie, as soon as you opened your mouth I knew you were from -Kentucky; I'm from Kentucky myself," I answered. - -"'Deed, honey, I'm pow'ful glad to see yo'," she said. "Why, dar's lots -o' people fum Kaintucky up to Naples. Kurnel Haldeman and Gen'l Sarah -Gordon Williams is bofe dar; and Miss Rose, Pres'dent Grove Cleveland's -sistah, she dar, too, at de hotel." Then she added, "I'm de cook for -Miss Lizzie M'Laughlin; she keeps de hotel." - -[Sidenote: A Good Catch] - -It seemed that the cook and her party had come down to the pass to fish, -but as I gave them more fish than they really needed, they concluded to -return at once to Naples, especially as the jolly cook declared that, -"Dat debblefish dun spile my appetite fo' fishin'." - -I handed my card to her, with the request that she take it to Colonel -Haldeman, or General "Cerro Gordo" Williams. They departed in great -glee, but with furtive glances at the devil-fish on the beach. As they -started off, the corpulent cook shouted: - -[Sidenote: A True Angler] - -"Good-by, mistah; hopes to see you soon. Say, mistah, we all's gwine to -'tend lak we cotch all dese fish wid we all's fish lines." - -"All right, Auntie, I will not give you away," I replied. - -She evidently had one of the qualifications of the true angler. - -[Sidenote: The Founder of Naples] - -Late in the afternoon I saw a lady and a gentleman coming down the beach -in a handsome carriage, drawn by a pair of trim-looking mules. I soon -recognized Col. W. N. Haldeman, of the Louisville _Courier-Journal_, and -his good wife. Col. Haldeman was the founder of Naples, where he had a -charming winter home. (His sad death through a trolley-car accident will -long be regretted and mourned by his many friends.) - -[Sidenote: A Kentucky Welcome] - -The Colonel and his lady insisted on my dining with them that evening. I -pleaded that I had nothing to wear but outing clothes, and was not -presentable. They would not be refused, however, the Colonel saying that -it was their first drive in the carriage, which had been on its way six -weeks from Louisville, and that Mrs. Haldeman had honored me by coming -herself to invite me. Of course, I had to accept their kind invitation, -as I could proffer no more excuses, and especially as the Colonel -promised me a real Kentucky dinner; that settled it. We had a delightful -drive up the beach on the hard sand at low tide, and the dinner was to -the queen's taste: Oyster soup, baked redfish, venison steak, and the -Kentucky feature, a roast 'possum with a lemon in its mouth. - -[Sidenote: Moonlight Ride by the Sea] - -After a most enjoyable evening with a happy company, myself and one of -my darkey acquaintances of the morning mounted two saddle mules for a -moonlight midnight ride down the beach to the pass. It was a high, -spring tide, compelling us to occasionally abandon the beach where -covered with water, and take to the scrub, much to the evident fear of -the negro, who, I soon discovered, was very timid and superstitious. He -started at every sound in the still night--the puffing of a porpoise in -the water or a 'coon or 'possum scurrying through the thick scrub or the -weird cry of a night bird caused him to blench with evident fear and -trembling. At the leap of a large fish, a tarpon or jewfish, that struck -the water with a resounding splash, he whispered: - -"Doctah, was dat a debblefish?" - -"It might have been," I replied. - -[Illustration: Manatee. (_Trichechus latirostris._)] - -[Sidenote: Voices of the Night] - -Just then a bull alligator in the bayou back of the beach emitted a -terrible roar, followed by the discordant cries of all sorts of -waterfowl; and, as it happened, some large animal, a horse or cow, or -perhaps a deer, fled at our approach and crashed through the scrub. -Altogether the various sounds were somewhat appalling, and calculated to -alarm and distress a more courageous person. At last we reached the -pass, and my boat, with its white canvas roof glaring in the light of -the full moon, broke on the gaze of the astonished darkey through the -trees, and as it moved this way and that, responsive to a slight breeze, -it seemed an uncanny thing to the thoroughly frightened man as he -moaned: - -[Sidenote: Spooks and Devils] - -"O Lawd; O Lawd; dar's a spook! De debble will sho' cotch me. I wish I -was back in ole Kaintuck. Oh, doctah, I sho' am 'fraid to go back -to-night. I sho' saw de debble's eye shinin' in de bresh, and heard de -splash of his tail in de watah, all de way down. Please, sah, let me -stay in de camp till de mawnin'." - -I saw that he was really terrified, and that it would never do to let -him attempt to return to Naples alone that night. Accordingly we -hobbled the mules, and I made him a bed in the boat, where he soon was -snoring and making as loud and uncouth noises as any "debble" was -capable of. In the morning I gave him a good breakfast and started him -home with the mules, the happiest coon in Florida. - -[Sidenote: Florida Up to Date] - -I have not been in Florida since the winter of 1896-7, but even then it -had greatly changed from the old Florida I knew as far back as 1878. At -the present day my old cruising and camping grounds near Rockledge, Lake -Worth and Miami are famous winter resorts, with large and commodious -hotels whose luxurious appointments and service are unsurpassed in the -world. - -Both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, as well as the interior of the -State, are now well-populated by Northern people, mostly engaged in -raising sub-tropical fruits and early vegetables. Marshy lands, once -the resort of innumerable water-fowl, have been drained and cultivated. -The pine forests and flat woods where once the cowboy reigned supreme, -and where the deer and wild turkey roamed at will, have been decimated -or destroyed by sawmills and turpentine stills. The rookeries of the -cypress swamps and wooded keys have been laid waste by the plume -hunter, so that the flamingo, pink curlew and egret are now but empty -sounding names. - -[Illustration: Devil Fish. (_Manta birostris._)] - -But while the greed and improvidence of commercial fishermen have -greatly reduced the numbers of not only mullet, but redfish, -sheepshead, sea-trout and other bay fishes, there still remains the -best and most varied fishing in the world for the angler who cares more -for real sport than a big creel. - -[Sidenote: Fishing Galore] - -In the brackish bays the channel bass, cavalla, snook, sea-trout, -croaker, sailor's choice, etc., will furnish all the sport, either with -bait or fly, that the reasonable angler can desire. So, also, at the -inlets and passes he may enjoy the matchless sport afforded by the -ladyfish and ten-pounder. Along the reefs and keys at the end of the -peninsula he may troll or cast his lure for the kingfish, Spanish -mackerel, amber jack and bonito. Along the rocky shores the groupers and -large snappers will freely respond to his baited hook, while in the -channels about the keys those beautiful pan-fish, the grunts, porgies, -snappers and other fishes of the coral banks, may be taken _ad libitum_. - - - - - INDEX - - - - - INDEX - - - Absurd names for brown trout, 111. - Abundance of trout, 81. - Ambition, youthful, 7. - Angler's recital, 8. - Angler's view-point of flies, 76. - Angling along east coast of Florida, 168. - along Florida Keys, 167. - along west coast of Florida, 169. - charm of, 12. - enthusiasm for, 5. - in the lagoons of Florida, 168. - love of, 6. - parlous times in, 3. - Arctic grayling, 45. - Artificial baits, 25. - flies, dark or light, 78. - flies, for black bass, 24. - flies, for grayling, 44, 56, 57. - flies, for trout, 72. - flies, in their season, 77. - flies, management of, 24, 54, 83. - flies, philosophy of, 74. - At the yule-tide, 141. - - Baby porpoise, 166. - Back-log reveries, 66. - Bait fishing, for black bass, 25. - for brook trout, 90. - for Florida fishes, 144, 148, 150, 156. - for grayling, 57. - for tarpon, 122. - Baits, artificial, 25. - Barracuda, the, 164. - Batiscan Falls, 99. - river, 95. - Black bass, the, 3. - appearance and habits, 10. - bait fishing, 25. - breeding habits, 18. - fishing, 5. - fly-fishing, 24. - in new waters, 6. - in olden time, 9. - leap of, 13. - pond culture, 23. - propagation of, 22. - season for fishing, 10. - size and weight, 19. - skittering for, 37. - still-fishing, 38. - tools and tackle, 26, 27, 30, 31. - Blue norther, 136. - Bozeman fisheries station, 51. - Breeding grounds of tarpon, 129. - Brown trout, 110. - absurd names for, 111. - as a game fish, 111. - fly-fishing for, 112. - in Yellowstone Park, 112. - - Casting baits, 28. - overhead, 29. - the minnow, 26. - Catching suckers, 159. - Cavalla, the, 145. - fly-fishing for, 145. - tools and tackle for, 145. - Channel bass, the, 149. - Charms of angling, 12. - Chief function of reels, 32. - of rods, 71. - Climate of Florida, 142. - Condition _vs._ theory about flies, 79. - Cut-throat trout, 102. - - Dame Juliana Berners, 43. - Darkey and devil-fish, 170. - Devil-fish, the, 164. - Distribution of black bass, 20. - of grayling, 49. - Dolly Varden trout, 109. - Dry-fly fishing, 86, 87. - - Eggs of black bass, 22. - of grayling, 52. - Ethics of sport, 4. - Eye of grayling, 48. - - Fair specimen, a, 138 - Fishing reels, 31. - rods, 26. - Fish story, 91. - Fishes, leap of, 13. - way with a bait, 17. - Fishing galore, 179. - Fishing on the verge, 100. - Florida climate, 142. - fish and fishing, 141. - grains, 164. - up to date, 178. - Flower of fishes, 43. - Fly-fishing for black bass, 24. - for cavalla, 146. - for grayling, 54. - for sea-trout, 148. - for tarpon, 123. - trout, 82, 86. - Founder of Naples, 174. - Frightened darkeys, 172. - - Gameness of grayling, 45. - Gay snappers, 151. - Gilead, balm in, 68. - Golden trout of Kern River, 114. - of Sunapee Lake, 116. - of Volcano Creek, 114. - of Sierras, 113. - Good haul, a, 171. - Grayling, the, 43. - Arctic, 45. - as a game-fish, 52. - distribution, 51. - fishing, 53. - food and haunts, 49. - Michigan, 46. - Montana, 46. - Propagation, 52. - tools and tackle, 56. - Groupers and snappers, 150. - - Habits of black bass, 18. - of grayling, 49. - of tarpon, 129. - His Majesty, the silver king, 121. - - In olden time, 9. - In old Quebec, 96. - - Jack Marrigle, 153. - Jewfish, the, 158. - some big ones, 159. - sport with, 171. - - Kentucky welcome, 175. - Kingfish, the, 149. - - Lacs du Rognon, 97. - Ladyfish, the, 152. - confusion of name, 154. - differentiation, 155. - fishing for, 157. - tools and tackle for, 156. - Leaping of fishes, 13. - Leviathan fishing, 3. - Love of angling, 6. - Lowering the tip, 84. - origin of the rule for, 85. - - Manatee, the, 166. - Mangrove snapper, 151. - Michigan grayling, 46. - Millions saved, 23. - Minnow, casting the, 26. - Missed opportunity, 163. - Monasteries and grayling, 60. - Montana grayling, 46. - Moonlight ride by sea, 175. - Mother Nature's sanitarium, 68. - - Non-rising of trout, 79. - - Old Kaintuck, 173. - Origin of short casting rod, 27. - Overhead casting, 29. - - Parlous times in angling, 3. - Passing of brook trout, 65. - Michigan grayling, 47, 61. - Peculiar eye of grayling, 48. - Phosphate fishing, 162. - Philosophy of artificial flies, 74. - Pipe dreams, 67. - Pleasant transition, a, 141. - Porpoise baby, 166. - calves, 165. - Position of reel on rod, 33. - Practical hints for trout fishing, 82. - Pride after a fall, 67. - Propagation of black bass, 22. - grayling, 51. - Pumping tarpon, 127. - - Rag-time dude, 151. - Rainbow trout, 107. - in new waters, 108. - Recital, the angler's, 8. - Redfish, the, 149. - Red snapper, the, 151. - Red-throat trout, 102. - Reels, chief function of, 32. - Reel fishing, 31. - for tarpon, 127. - for trout, 72. - on top or underneath, 34. - position on rod, 33. - something more about, 32. - Remora, the, 160. - Restigouche River, 94. - Riband in cap of youth, 8. - Rocky Mountain species, 101. - Rods, fishing, 26, 56, 70, 120, 156, 170. - short bait-casting, 27. - Rovallia, the, 157. - - Sanitarium, Nature's, 68. - Scared darkey, 135. - Sea-cow, 166. - Sea-trout (brook), 92. - Sea-trout (Florida), 146. - Sheepshead, the, 144. - Silver king, the, 121. - Silver shuttle, 153. - Skip-jack, 153. - Snappers and groupers, 150. - Snook, the, 157. - Something more about reels, 32. - Sorry plight of captain, 136. - Spanish mackerel, the, 146. - fly-fishing for, 148. - Spanish mackerel, shore-fishing for, 147. - Spearing the jumbos, 163. - Spooks and devils, 177. - Sport, ethics of, 4. - St. Ambrose and the grayling, 43. - Steelhead trout, 105. - Stingaree, a, 135. - Strenuous fishing, 165. - Suckers, catching, 159. - Sunapee trout, 116. - trolling for, 117. - Sure thing, a, 137. - - Tarpon, the, 121. - enthusiast, 128. - fishing for, 122. - habits of, 129. - in Florida waters, 121. - records, 125. - the first on a rod, 124. - tussle with a, 130. - Ten-pounder, the, 153. - confusion of name, 154. - differentiation, 155. - fishing for, 157. - Tic douloureux, 137. - Tools and tackle for black bass, 30. - for brook trout, 70, 91. - for Florida fishing, 169. - Tools and tackle for grayling, 56. - for red-throat trout, 105. - for tarpon, 126. - Trout, the angler's pride, 65. - fishing for, 82, 86, 89. - non-rising of to fly, 79. - tools and tackle, 71. - why it takes the fly, 75. - Trout's view-point of flies, 76. - True angler, a, 174. - Tussle with a tarpon, 129. - Twin evils, 29. - - Vaulting ambition, 14. - Virgin trout stream, 94. - Voices of the night, 176. - - Wet-fly fishing, 89. - Whipparee, a, 134. - Winninish, the, 93. - - Yellowstone Lake trout, 104. - Youthful ambition, 7. - - - - - _Set up, Electrotyped and Printed at_ - - THE OUTING PRESS - - DEPOSIT, NEW YORK - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Everything (including inconsistent hyphenation) has been retained as -printed, unless stated below: - -p. 46: "mentioned by Lewis and Clarke" Clarke changed to Clark; - -p. 52 (Sidenote): "Game and" inserted hyphen after Game; - -p. 77 (Sidenote): "Flies in their Season" their changed to Their; - -p. 114: "Salmo rooseveldti" rooseveldti changed to roosevelti; - -p. 158 (Sidenote): "Garrupa nigritis" nigritis changed to nigrita; - -Sidenotes and illustrations were moved to paragraph breaks. 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