THE BOOK OF FISH AND FISHING BY LOUIS RHEAD ">' Oi\ " -P ''■7-' •'Ov ?^ o 0^ %.^^' : >^ ^ < '.7^^ .A • / 'p %c,^ .-..^..^ % ^/ '^^ %. v.'#%^r # 1 cT' ('^V % ./\ ->' .-'..^ "'^".^co-. p^ v^ r-^"^ -. ^^ P^ * /.•- ■.A^<^ \'' * ■':■ .,^ s' -s-. .0^^ OO ■-^-^ V c^ ^5^^^^- -.\ .^"" ' N>' %. '' , :%'' r- "-- ^;^ vOo. • .«..?■ „ 1 VrutcuoL X a^>on/vA^ THE BOOK OF FISH AND FISHING ^TXf^^^^ no8 !■ (\^o^14-^ (\2.o%^^'\ JIul PREFACE The object of this book is to inform anglers about every kind of fresh -water and especially marine fish — "much in little." Those fish not angled for are left out, and scientific names and descriptions are not considered. Of the thou- sands of fish in American waters, I have selected only those best known for gameness and economic value, so that the veriest tyro can be informed about angling methods and any equipment he should need without trouble, time, and expense in searching other works. First and last, I have tried to make an all-round pocket guide — an encyclopaedia of facts — the easiest and best ways, how to catch, where to go, and how to get the best sport. To avoid monotonous repetition, the writer deemed it wise to plan the book under sub-divided headings and to combine the various fish in groups and collate the methods of taking them so that they can be seen at a glance. Complete infor- mation concerning each fish is not, therefore, con- fined to a single chapter, but occurs under various headings, as shown in the Contents, page xi. The writer has, all his life, been much at- tached to the sport of angling, and circumstances vii Preface have permitted him to indulge in that passion to a greater extent and over a wider field than either time or opportunity would probably have allowed most anglers. He has taken every game fish that swims, from the southern borders of Labrador down to the Dry Tortugas, as well as in many of the great inland seas. During the last twenty- five years he has made careful and painstaking studies of the most approved methods to lure, and also of the habits of fishes. I believe we are on the verge of a revolution, both as to breeding and stocking, not only by the various States, but by private individuals who will take up fish culture as a commercial enter- prise; while more advanced methods of taking fishes will be employed by means of better tackle and an intelligent use of it. It is over fifty years since the "Jock Scott" and "silver doctor" salmon flies were invented. Nothing in flies has been made since to equal them. On the other hand, marvellous strides have been made during the last twenty-five years in artificial lures, mostly remarkable from the fact that they are rarely imitations of living bait. Heretofore angling books have been almost entirely devoted to fresh -water fishes; in this volume the vast army of salt-water anglers may have information in compact form about their popular favorites. For information concerning the various game fishes I have consulted and quoted from the works of the following distinguished authorities: Preface Charles F. Holder ("Fishing on the Pacific Coast"), the late Dean Sage ("Atlantic Salmon"), the late Wm. C. Harris ("Bass and Trout"), Dr. Tarleton H. Bean ("Striped Bass," "Hatching," and numerous other subjects), H. Cholmondeley Penncll ("Trout and Salmon"), W. C. Stewart ("Worming for Trout"), John Bickerdyke, Major Traherne, Frederick M. Halford, Henry R. Francis, Dr. Brown Goode, Charles Hallock, Thaddeus Norris, Frank Forrester, Genio Scott, and ethers. For the mode of capture, both for fresh-water and marine fishes, I have used my own ex- perience and practice, except in case of the tuna and black sea-bass of the Pacific Coast. In the art of angling there is much diversity of opinion as to what is best, both in tackle and methods. In such cases, I have taken a middle course, avoiding dogmatic rules, laying down no rock-bound law and merely expressing the opin- ion of what I consider best, whether in my own experience or that of others. The author wishes to acknowledge his indebt^ edness to the United States Bureau of Fisheries for permission to use numerous cuts in this volume. Louis Rhead. Flatbusk, L. 1, CONTENTS I. Popular Fresh- Water Game Fish . 1 Salmon — Mascalonge — Pike — Black Bass — Grayling — Trout — Charr-trout. II. Popular Salt- Water Game Fish . 27 ^Leaping Tuna — * Tarpon —^ Black Sea- Bass — Yellow Tail — *Weakfish of the Atlantic and Pacific — ' Striped Bass — ^ Blue-fish — ^ Bonito— ^Albacore — Chan- nel Bass — - Sheepshead. III. Popular Bottom Fresh- Water Fish . 77 Pike Perch — Dace — Chub — Carp — Sunfish — Perch — Eels — Catfish. rV. Popular Bottom Sea Fish . . 98 ' Sea-Bass — Tautog or Blackfish — ^'King- fish — Plaice -^ Flounder — Lafayette — Porgy -^ Smelts — Cod — Tomcod. V. Where to Get Them . . .119 General distribution — List of places — Good waters for Salmon, Bass and Trout — Mascalonge. Best places for salt-water fish. VI. How to Get Them .... 145 Salmon: With the fly — Killing flies — Working and casting from a canoe — With live bait — Trolling — Prawn methods — The worm. Mascalonge and Pike: Still -fishing in rivers and lakes — Gang hooks — Bait- casting — Trolling. Pike and Pickerel: Trolling — Skitter- ing — Still-fishing. Black Bass: With the fly— Small flies in Contents CHAPTER PAGE rivers — Weather conditions — Minnows and how to hook them — Various hve baits — The best artificial lures. Trout: With the fly — Brook and river fishing — Dry fly-fishing — Casting the fly — Live bait-fishing — With worms. VII. When to Get Them . . . 219 Time of day: Early morning — Mid-day — Sunset — Night. Best season: Fish caught early — Fish caught late. Open and closed season: Why closed season is required. Best kind of weather: Windy day — Wet day — Dry day. VIII. With What to Get Them . . 240 Rods: Casting power — Solid and bam- boo — Steel rods — Fly rod and bait rod. Tackle: Reels — Lines — Gut. Hooks: Names — Bend — Size. Equipment: Dress — Wading-boots and stockings— Landing-nets — Fishing pock- et-book — Sundries. Women who fish. IX. How to Play and How to Land Them 276 Way to handle rod — Way to handle line and reel — How to use net — Gaffing. X. The Right Way to Keep Fish Fresh 283 In the creel — Icing them — At the end of day's trip — How to pack them. XI. How to Cook Them . . .292 Cleaning fish — Camp cookery — Serving fish. XII. Simple Hatchery for Trout . . 299 Care of fry— Location required— The kind of water — Stocking brooks — Feeding. xii ILLUSTRATIONS FACING PAGE Popular Fresh -Water Game Fish ... 4 •Atlantic Salmon — Pacific Salmon — Lake Trout — Brown Trout. Popular Fresh -Water Game Fish ... 18 Speckled Trout — Rainbow Trout — Mal- ma (Dolly Varden) Trout— Tahoe Trout. Popular Salt -Water Game Fish ... 30 ^ Tarpon — "^-^Tuna — Black Grouper or Jew-fish^Bonito. Popular Salt -Water Game Fish . . .50 ^ Blue-fish ^Weakfish — Spotted Weak- fish — Spanish Mackerel. Popular Salt -Water Game Fish • v • • ^^ ^ Striped Bass — Drum-^Mackerel— Shad. Popular Bottom Fresh -Water Fish ... 84 Common Carp — White Bass — White Cat- fish — Perch. Popular Bottom Sea Fish .... 100 *^ Sheepshead — Porgy — Tautog. Popular Bottom Sea Fish .... 108 Fluke —^Flounder — '^ Sea -Bass— King- fish. Popular Bottom Sea Fish . . . .116, * Cod— Spot— Tomcod— Sea Eel. Illustrations FACING PAGE Popular Fresh -Water Game Fish . . . 128 Small-mouth Bass — Large-mouth Bass — Rock Bass — Grayling. Popular Fresh -Water Game Fish . . . 158 Mascalonge — Pike — Pickerel — Wall-eye. Popular Bottom Fresh -Water Fish . . . 204 Sunapee Trout — Loch Leven Trout — Leather Carp — Sunfish. Maps Charts Distribution of fresh-water fish on North American Continent .... 127 Distribution of salt-water fish on the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf Coasts . .141 Showing the habitat, tackle, time of day, bait and season of: ' Popular salt-water fish . . . 226-227 Popular fresh-water fish . . , 228-229 There are many additional illustrations and diagrams in the text, drawn by the author. THE BOOK OF FISH AND FISHING CHAPTER I Popular Fresh= Water Game Fish SALMON First, among game fishes, the salmon is su- preme, not only in its gallant resistance and fight- ing qualities, but, perhaps, in its value to the hu- man race as a highly prized and nutritious food. Its beautiful and shapely form, Famify *"'''" especially when first taken from the water (if a newly run fish), gives its captor the greatest pleasure. With pardonable pride, as he beholds its shiny, silvery sides, he exclaims, every time he lands one, "What a noble and brave antagonist!" The two most important species are the quin- nat salmon of the Pacific, and the Atlantic salmon — the latter inhabiting the North Atlantic, and as- cending many of the rivers for the purpose of re- production. The most southern river in which specimens have been obtained, is the Poto- Salmon^ mac. It occurs in small numbers in the Delaware and in the Hudson, but in these three rivers its presence is the result of arti- ficial introduction. Its occurrence in Lake Cham- 1 Fish and Fishing plain, the St. Lawrence River, and tributaries of Lake Ontario, is due also to modern fish culture. The State of Maine has many ideal salmon riv- ers, and a few of these fish are caught; but a thou- sand times less than should be, for conditions show a most discouraging state of affairs. The Kenne- bec River, which is an ideal salmon stream, was robbed of fish by the building of a dam at Au- gusta. The Penobscot is fast going down under the illegal fishing and pollution of its water from various factories near its mouth. The St. Croix (partly in Canada) though not so bad, is growing worse. The Connecticut River has been stocked several times, but when the salmon returned to it, they were all caught by the netters at the mouth, in direct violation of the law. So the salmon angler finds that the British possessions in North America undoubtedly afford the greatest field for fishing in the future. Beginning at the south in the River St. Law- rence, and farther east in Nova Scotia, which has a number of small but fair streams, and following the north shore of the river and of the Gulf of St. Lawrence up to the Strait of Belle Isle, there are scores of tributary rivers abounding in salmon. The Miramiche and Ne- pisiguit are probably the best of those south of the Restigouche in the Bay of Chaleurs. This river is a large and beautiful stream, running back be- tween the Province of Quebec and New Bruns- wick, a distance of over two hundred miles, with four large tributaries, the Metapedia, the Upsal- 2 Popular Fresh=Water Game Fish quitch, the Patapedia, and the Kedgwick. It flows in a generally north-east direction and has in its entire course no falls or rapids which a canoe can- not surmount. The Restigouche Salmon Club has purchased a large portion of the best angling on the river, and the rod fishing yields about twelve hundred salmon and grilse yearly, which is far below its probable production if netting were not so prevalent. For this reason, the average size of the fish is dimin- ishing. On the other side of the Bay of Chaleurs is the Grand Bonaventure and the famous Grand Cascapedia — both full of large fish, some being taken of over fifty pounds; but the average is probably twenty-five pounds. Only eight fish per day are allowed to be taken by one rod. The St. Anne des Monts is another good river of the north shore, where fish run large. The Grand, Dartmouth, and others in Salmon^ the Gaspe district are good, and the fish are of fair average size, with some large ones. The Godbout, on the St. Lawrence, is a remarkable river — a catch of fifteen to twenty salmon to one rod in a day is not unusual. The fish are small in the Godbout (but so is the river, which is very broken), and fished almost, if not entirely, from the shore. In 1901, three rods took in twelve days two hundred and seventeen salmon. The Moisie and the Mingan, farther down, are good, and the fish large, averaging over twenty- two pounds. The Natashquan is a good-sized Fish and Fishing stream full of small fish, from eight to twelve pounds. This river marks about the eastern limit of the rivers which are at all well known. The Esquimaux River, in the Strait of Belle Isle, is probably the greatest known salmon river. It is very large and long, without heavy falls to pre- vent the salmon from ascending to its upper waters. The vast, practically unexplored region north of the Strait of Belle Isle extending up to Davis Strait and to the West — including a thousand miles of shore line of Hudson Bay — is undoubtedly full of salmon rivers, where a fly has never been cast. There are vague rumors of enormous quan- tities of salmon in the rivers just north of the Strait of Belle Isle — the Hamilton being especially spoken of. At the present rate of destruction, those wanting good salmon fishing are quite likely to have to look as far as these remote regions for it, in the next twenty-five years. What good fishing there is close at hand is hard to get and very expensive. Of the Pacific salmons, the quinnat salmon is the largest and most prized. It is known under various names, such as the chinook, tyee, king salmon, Columbia River, and Sacramento Salmon. It ranges from Monterey, California, to Alaska and eastern Asia, ascending rivers in some cases fifteen hundred miles, or farther, from the sea. It is the largest of the salmon family — individuals weighing one hundred pounds, and upward of five feet in length, being on record, taken from the 4 POPULAR FRESH-WATER GAME FISH Popular Fresh=Water Game Fish Yukon and other rivers. The flesh of this salmon is paler than the red salmon, but it is superior in flavor to all others and very valuable for canning, salting, and smoking. The quinnat is first seen in Monterey Bay as early as January, and many are caught by anglers for several months while the fish are frequenting this rendezvous and becoming fat on small fish preparatory to entering the Golden Gate and be- ginning their long and last journey up the Sacra- mento, which stream many have entered by Feb- ruary. In March this fish is seen in the Columbia, but not until May docs it become abundant. It seeks the shores of southern Alaska in May, and prob- ably reaches the Yukon the latter part of June. The runs continue for four to six months in south- ern waters, while in northern Alaska the running season is very short, not exceeding six weeks. The other species of the Pacific salmons — but of lesser value — are the blue-back salmon, hump- back, silver, dog, and the steelhead salmon. The latter, while in reality a trout, is popularly re- garded as a salmon. It feeds freely in fresh water and does not die in the streams after spawning, but returns to the sea. It is a general favorite on ac- count of its size, beauty, gameness, and food value, and will be mentioned with the trout. The ouananiche is a fierce-fighting, fresh water understudy of the Atlantic salmon, often wrong- fully termed landlocked. Its home is in Lake St. John, Province of Quebec, and at the outlet 5 Fish and Fishing which forms the River Saguenay; it also thrives in many of the rivers that flow into the Gulf of St. Lawrence and in the rivers of Labrador. This fish loves rapid and turbulent waters, and because of the life it leads, it is beyond doubt, for its size, the most vigorous and athletic fish that inhabits northern waters. It will leap from the water seven or eight times after being hooked, and with the greatest rapidity rush down below one hundred feet. A fish weighing three to four pounds will make a fight lasting from ten to fifteen minutes. Its food consists mostly of flies, which it picks from out of the foam that lies in blankets, some- times forty to sixty feet in extent, washed down by the swirling flood moving round and round below the rapids. In such pools the ouananiche is fished for with fine but strong tackle, and nothing but flies are used. In the fall it takes a small minnow, but the cream of the fishing is from June 15 th to July 15th. At the Grande Decharge, it is fished for from a canoe handled by two Canadian guides, or, on some of the small islands that rise up steep from the water, the angler casts his flies from the rocks above and the guide nets them. Twenty fish is the limit on one rod per day, and they weigh from four to seven pounds, the average size being two pounds, though specimens have been caught up to nine pounds. The Sebago salmon, of Maine, is a similar fresh- water species and is found in the lake of that name. 6 Popular Fresh=Water Game Fish It attains a weight of fifteen pounds but averages from eight to ten pounds. It does not manifest the fighting qualities of the ouananiche owing to the quiet waters it inhabits. MASCALONGE AND PIKE A pecuHar trait of the pike family is to lie in wait for its prey, partly hidden by weeds or logs and shelving rocks. They are the most voracious fish that inhabit our inland waters. Chief among them is the famous mascalonge, which is a game fish of high rank, and its large size makes it a great prize, as it reaches a length of seven and a half feet and attains a maximum weight of about one hundred pounds. There are two species — the spotted and un- spotted mascalonge — the former being abundant in the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence, and widely distributed through southern Canada. The un- spotted or Chautauqua mascalonge is confined to the lake of that name, and a few localities in the Ohio Valley. It is now being successfully propagated by arti- ficial cultivation and, no doubt, in the near future will be more widely distributed. It grows to a weight of fifty pounds and though not so large as the spotted species, in my opinion (and I have caught both), it is in every way a superior fish, both in its gallant fighting and beautiful coat, as well as for its edible qualities. This opinion exactly coincides with that of Dr. Tarleton H. Bean, to 7 Fish and Fishing whom anglers are much indebted for his intelli- gent planting of the fish raised at the hatchery at Bemus Point. Both species devour every living creature that comes in sight, preying upon all other fishes, frogs and amphibians generally, ducklings and other small aquatic birds and mammals, as well as the young of their own kind. The pike family are most remarkable for the large size of the head which is flattened and the lower jaw which projects. They have a terrible ar- ray of sharp teeth of assorted sizes, and on the edge of each side of the lower jaw are several long, bayonet-shaped fangs — in the larger fish nearly an inch long, some of them curved inward like the tusks of a boar. It is solitary in its habits, lying concealed among the water plants and reeds at the edges of the streams or channels where other fish are likely to pass by, or standing motionless beside shelv- ing rocks or banks, in clear lakes, whence it darts upon any luckless fish that approaches its lair. With mouth tightly closed, it springs like a thunder-bolt till very near its victim ; Fe^ ^^ then, opening wide its immense jaws, it brings them together with a sudden snap, sometimes cutting its prey into two pieces, always taking the fish or lure sideways. Then it slowly returns to its hiding-place to gorge. There is no special time when they take their food; they are always feeding. The number of fishes swal- lowed and wounded by mascalonge during a single 8 Popular Fresh=Water Game Fish summer is almost incredible, most of them fish large and old enough to reproduce their kind. The great northern pike is of exactly the same disposition, and so, in a lesser degree, is the pick- erel, except that neither the pike nor pickerel has ^.. been known to rise above the surface of the water after being hooked. All the species are wandering, savage tyrants, preferring to lie in solitary places, waiting, ever ready to pounce on their victim. The range of the pike in America is from Lake Champlain, the Great Lake region, and the upper Mississippi River, north to Alaska. In many of the large lakes of northern New York, especially Lake George, pike are com- mon. They also grow to a large size Weight^ at the outlet of Lake St. John and the Saguenay River; specimens up to forty pounds are recorded there, at times. All over Canada, especially in the tributaries of the St. John, this fish is caught in large quantities in nets, as well as on lines. Its fight, when capt- ured, is not so prolonged or persistent as the mascalonge. It resorts to no devices to elude capture, but makes fierce lunges in long straight lines, sometimes on the surface, at others down below; but a heavy fish of twenty pounds requires considerable strength of arm and tackle to hold it in subjection. It has the same habits in its food, in regard to place and time of feeding, as the mascalonge. In its general form, the pickerel resembles a 9 Fish and Fishing small pike. Though it is more slender, it grows sometimes to two feet in length, and weighs up 1 *^ seven or eight pounds, though its usual weight is three or four pounds. Its range extends from Maine along the coastwise streams, to Florida and Louisiana. It is so com- mon that it is difficult to say where it is not found. In all the lakes and ponds of Central Michigan and New York it is fished for by a host of admiring anglers. To stand up in a boat that is properly handled and throw a trolling spoon along the borders of the lily-pads where the pickerel hide is considered excellent sport. In the crystal clear water, the whirling, glittering spoon is in sight every moment, and the fish may be seen when it rushes straight at the lure. Wherever the pickerel is placed, it at once makes a home, breeding rapidly, soon becoming abundant, and growing in size according to the amount of food at hand. What it lacks in game qualities is made up in the quantities by which it is taken, and thousands of anglers are content and take pleasure in such fishing of a common „ . .^ kind. On a still smaller scale, its habits nabits p p 1 and manner of feedmg are similar to those of the pike. It is a deadly enemy to the young of brook trout, dace, chub, and various minnows. BLACK BASS The black bass enjoys, without doubt, the widest popularity of all the game fish of North 10 Popular Fresh=Water Game Fish America. The trout arc kno^\^l to a much smaller number of people for the reason that bass are abundant in the most densely populated portions of the United States, while the human neighbors of the trout are comparatively few. There are two species so very much alike that there is prac- tically but one point of difference — the size of the mouth — and their habits are identical. The small- mouthed black bass is a fish of the East and North from western New Hampshire to Manitoba and southward to South Carolina and the northern Gulf States to Arkansas. The large-mouthed ranges from Manitoba southward to the Gulf States and spreads through the latter to Texas and Florida. It abounds in all the rivers of the Southern States. So widely have both species been distributed within the last few years that it is difficult to mention a section of North America where this brace of splendid game fish may not be found abundant. Its popularity may be inferred by the remark- able number and variety of names it goes under. The large-mouthed is known in the Lake region as the "Oswego bass," in Kentucky it is called "jumper," in Indiana "moss bass," in the South- ern States "trout," though in North Carolina it is called "chub," in Alabama "mountain trout." Many other names are applied to one or both species. One of the pet names among anglers is "bronze-backer." Both species are born fighters on the line, as well as in the water, among their own and other kinds. For its size, it is the most 11 Fish and Fishing active leaper, barring the ouananiche, of all our game fish. In form and color it is about the ugliest game fish, the caudal, rear dorsal, and anal fins being out of proportion to what otherwise would be a shapely form; nevertheless, the black bass fills a most important space in the angler's sport, for if you hook even a two-pound bass in a running stream, you are at once aware you have engaged a fish and a jolly "kicker" at that. Just as soon as it feels the barb, out of the water it shoots, giv- ing the rod, reel, and angler such a lively time that one cannot but admire its pluck even unto the moment you rap it on the head. Even in quiet lakes, its leaps and surges are admirable, where otherwise most trout are tame. Yet, with all this, in fishing streams where both are common, when I hook a bass I always regret it is not a trout. Some writers — one especially — have made a sort of demi-god of the bass; but few anglers who have opportunities to fish for salmon — both sea and landlocked, as well as trout, even brook trout — will leave them for the bass. The reason, I suppose, is that bass are not al- ways willing to take a fly, and one is more sure to get them on live bait. The ordinary size of an adult fish is two to three pounds, though specimens have been taken up to eight pounds. In Florida, the large-mouthed grows larger. Eight-pounders are not unusual in the St. Johns River; specimens have been recorded up to twenty pounds, caught in the lake at Gainesville, Florida. The bass do 12 Popular Fresh=Water Game Fish not seem to depend elosely on temperature. Hav- ing no opportunity of avoiding the cold, they sink to deeper parts of their watery domain at the ap- proach of winter, and if the chill penetrates to their retreat, their vitality is diminished, their blood flows more slowly, they feel no need of food, and forthwith enter into a state of hibernation. In deep lakes they sink beneath, below the reach of surface chills, and are sometimes caught with a hook through the ice. In the South their ac- tivity never ceases. Any one who has seen black bass feeding, must have been impressed with their immense power of movement. They soon be- come masters of the waters in which they are placed; sunfish, chub, dace, trout, young salmon, and even the ravenous pickerel, are devoured, as are also the young of their own kind. They feed at the surface on moths, flies, and frogs; Food*^^ they turn over stones in search of craw- fish and insect larvse. In their stomachs have been found mice, young rats, snakes, and small aquatic birds. With such a varied menu, it is no wonder that the angler finds them at the proper season equally eager for fly-hook, trolling spoon, or live bait, and ever ready for a struggle which puts the rod and line to a severe test. They are fished for at night, as well as day, so that it may be assumed they are always feeding, the early morning hours being considered (next to late even- ing) the best time for angling. They are active, roving, merry fish, continually rising from the bottom to the surface, at times rising above it in 13 Fish and Fishing pure wanton play. The small-mouthed bass thrive in comparatively clear, cool, and rocky or gravelly streams, and in lakes or ponds supplied by such streams or having cold bottom springs. In lakes of the latter character, it coexists with large- mouthed bass in many instances. In such cases, the small-mouthed will be found usually at the inlet, or about springs, and the large-mouthed at the outlet or in sheltered, grassy situations. One of the features of the bass is its domestic habits. The male and female pair off and together they form a nest on the bottom of gravel or coarse sand, in very rocky streams, on a flat rock. The male fish does the work of preparation by scouring with fins and tail a space about twice his length in diameter, forming a shallow, saucer-shaped depression, in which the female deposits her eggs, which are fertilized by the male, who hovers near by. The nest is care- fully guarded from intruders by the Bulldine P^^^'^ts until the eggs hatch, the period of incubation being from one to two weeks, according to the temperature of the water. The fry are then watched and brooded by the male fish for a week or so, when the young seek the shel- ter of weeds and grasses in shallow water. Prob- ably fifty per cent, of the young are later devoured by adult fish. Many are the methods pursued in its capture, trolling with artifical lures, and with live bait, casting with the fly, and with bait, bobb- ing, skittering, and still fishing — all are the same to its hungry and ever-ready maw. 14 Popular Frcsh=Water Game Fish Another species similar in appearance is the rock bass, or red eye, also the warmouth, the calico or strawberry bass, and the crappie, all found in the same waters as the black bass; but they are of little or no importance to the angler in comparison. The warmouth (called a perch in some localities) for its size is a gamy fish, so is the rock bass; both the latter rising to the fly, at times, but so do many of the common fishes, not game, to be treated in a separate chapter under that name. GRAYLING The American grayling, like the mascalonge, is confined to the Middle Western States, more particularly to Montana and Michigan; notwith- standing the many efforts to plant them in Eastern waters, including those hatched and shipped from Bozeman by Dr. J. A. Henshall in 1898, they have resulted in no apparent good. I know of no place in Eastern waters worthy of being called "fishing" for grayling. The family consists of three species: Michigan, Mon- tana, and Arctic grayling, the latter having the great dorsal fin much larger and more highly colored, the two former being very similar in both appearance and game qualities. It is a graceful, trimly built, and delicate-looking fish, colored more like "mother of pearl " than any fish I know. Its habit is to lie at the bottom of deep, slow-moving, clear cold water, and it rises to the fly many times, swiftly darting back without taking 15 Fish and Fishing it. The leaping of the grayling is extremely grace- ful, both on the hook and in play, when not dis- turbed. As a gamy fighter it is equal to the trout, though it takes the fly much more quietly, most often while the fly is under water; then, in a flash, turns, like a somersault, fighting every inch its hardest to get back to the bottom. In size it rarely grows more than two pounds in weight, the average being about a pound, but, with careful angling, quite a number may be caught from the same pool, as they invariably lie in schools together. Its food is mostly insects and their larvae, small minnows, crustaceans, and other small creatures. They coexist with the red-throat trout, each seeking out such portions of the streams as are best suited to them. In fishing for grayling the smallest possible flies Fishfng should be used. One, or two, can be placed on the cast, which should be exceedingly fine. Good flies are black gnat, coachman, gray hackle, black hackle, iron-blue dun, red ant, and cinnamon. The rod, line, and leader can be exactly similar to those used for trout fishing. Cast down stream or cast across stream, letting the fly float down to the foot of the pool. When the fly has passed by, the fish darts up swiftly, and back to the bottom, often a number of times, seemingly as if afraid to touch it. But it is game, and the fly is at last taken; the same method is pursued ; up goes the great fin to plunge it downward, fighting stoutly to get free. A good deal of careful work is necessary in 16 Popular Fresh=Water Game Fish handling and playing the grayling. Gently keep the line taut all the time or it will surely get off; the slightest jerk will lose it, the flies Game and being so small, and its lips somewhat Traits tender; for that reason many fish get away. The grayling repeatedly breaks water after being hooked, and it makes an excel- lent fight beneath the surface, being much aided in its resistance, by its tall dorsal fin. The Michigan grayling may be found in the Au Sable, Manistee, Marquette, Jordan, Pigeon, and other rivers in the northern part of that State. It may also be found in the river Boyne and Pine Lake. The Montana grayling is found only in the tributaries of the Missouri River, Found above the great falls; in Sheep and Ten- derfoot creeks, tributaries of Smith River, in the Little Belt Mountains, and the three forks of the Missouri — the Gallatin, Madison and Jefferson rivers. But the ideal home of the Mon- tana grayling is in several tributaries at the head of the Red Rock Lake, in the upper reaches of the Madison, where the water is rapid, though unbroken; also the Beaver Creek, in the upper canon, is an ideal stream. The best season for fishing is in September, October, and November. TROUT Next in order to the salmon is the large and important group of trout and charrs. There are twenty-four species and subspecies of salmon 17 Fish and Fishing trout, and thirteen varietal forms of the charrs. It is only possible to mention one or more of the most popular of the various species of Faniilv trout, the subspecies being similar in habit and character as well as the method of angling for them. For more detailed accounts the reader should consult volumes devoted entirely to them. The American cut-throat, or Columbia River trout (Salmo clarkii), ranges in the coastwise streams of Puget Sound, south to Elk River, Cali- fornia, and its various forms eastward to the head- waters of the Rio Grande and the Utah Basin. The habits of the cut-throat are similar to those of its Eastern brother, the jontinalis. Wherever a pool exists, created by an offshoot of the main stream, wherein a shelving rock or overhanging trees form a sheltering or shady nook, a single cut-throat of good size is found, sovereign of the domain from which it drives the grayling and whitefish. In the larger pools, caused by the subsidence of the current in deeper water, it ap- pears to live in harmony with these fish. Wher- ever the cut-throat lives within access to salt water, it doubtless ranges seaward as far as the salmon. Under these conditions, a silvery coating is as- sumed, and the black spots disappear, leaving but few traces of its fresh- water garb. When taken in salt water, it is found to be of increased size, upward of twenty-five pounds, and is generally called by market men and anglers the *' salmon trout." The cut-throat is an omnivorous feeder, 18 POPULAR FRESH-WATER GAME FISH Popular Fresh=Water Game Fish minnows, insects, worms of all kinds, grasshop- pers, fresh meat; and, above all, the artificial fly, when properly and skilfully manipulated, is most attractive, for it is at all times, when the water is clear, a surface feeder, though not particular as to color or form of the lure presented to it. The angler, visiting the native waters of this fish, needs only to stock his fly book with flies used in luring the Eastern brook trout. If he visits the Yellow- stone or any of the large rivers containing this fish, it would be well to have a fly rod not less than eight ounces, as the fish attains to the weight of six or seven pounds. A subspecies is found in the Yellowstone River adjacent to Livingstone, Mon- tana. It is a typical trout water, where the fish take the fly viciously with deep and long surges to escape the hook. The Rio Grande trout is more familiar to the anglers of the Middle West, particularly those residing in Colorado. It is an exceptionally game fish and a choice feeder, takes the fly greedily and fights hard under restraint. In the opinion of a resident angler it is *'the best fish that swims in any waters of the earth." There is little differ- ence between the Rio Grande and Colorado River trout. The latter seems to have attractjpi the^ attention of the anglers of that section to a greater extent. It is the objective of nearly all their out- ings, and its game qualities are heralded in every sportsman's journal throughout the country. It grows to a weight of over nine pounds, though the average is much less; but it takes the artificial 19 Fish and Fishing fly with avidity, particularly the coachman, black hackle, June-spinner and the black prince. The best month for fishing is July. One of the most interesting of the salmon trout is the Lake Tahoe, or silver trout. This fish grows to a weight of twenty-five to thirty pounds and spawns in the depth of the lake. It is prob- ably sought for by a greater number of anglers than any other fish of the Pacific slope waters. Being reached in a few hours from San Francisco, the resident anglers of that city make Lake Tahoe the Mecca of their outings, and no visiting angler rounds up his fishing tour unless he essays these big trout. The hotels at the lake are crowded all through the season, for the fish are large and numerous. The Lake Tahoe trout is found in the following lakes and rivers: Lakes Tahoe, Pyramid, Webber, Donner, Independence, and in the rivers Truckee, Humboldt, Carson, and in most of the streams of the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada. The steel-head trout {Salmo gairdneri), also known as the hard-head, is a large sea trout growing to a weight of twenty pounds, or more, and is migratory like the salmon, ascending rivers to spawn many hundreds of miles into the State of Idaho, and into other sections. It inhabits coastwise streams from British Columbia south to Santa Barbara, California, and those west of the Cascade Range. It is very abundant in the Lower Columbia, the Russian, and Klamath rivers. Its edible qualities are inferior to those of the same 20 Popular Fresh= Water Game Fish family east of the Alleghany Mountains. But if inferior as food fishes, the steel-heads possess all the game qualities of Eastern trout. They are fly takers when in the streams on shallow ledges of rock in the lower waters. On taking the natural bait the steel-head is apt to surge deep and strong, but when fastened on the fly for which it rises, it is an acrobat, leaping repeatedly from the water. These aerial flights lead the angler to believe that it is closely allied to the rainbow trout, the only trout west of the Rocky Mountains — with the ex- ception of the stream steel-head — that will rise and leap frantically into the air. The rainbow trout {Salmo irideus) are typical game fishes of the salmon family, and are equal in fighting qualities, when found in streams of moderate size and depth, to the leaping salmon of Lake St. John. It is one of the most muscular and resourceful of fishes for its size, rising freely to the fly, leaping on a slack line, and fighting lit- erally to the death. In Eastern waters, the rainbow appears to have acquired increased strength, and certainly greater leaping powers. It is also the hardiest of the salmon trout, for it will thrive in water of a higher temperature than is suitable for other species. Though a gormand in its appetite, it is cleanly in feeding, liking best the live minnoAV or insect on the surface. A swimming grasshopper is irresistible, and no fish rises so freely to a cast of artificial flies. There are five subspecies of rainbows, the 21 Fish and Fishing most prominent being "the brook trout of west- ern Oregon," and the "McCloud River rainbow trout," from which stock the Eastern and Middle West were first stocked in 1870. Another important subspecies is the Shasta rainbow, which rises freely to any of the stand- ard flies and grows to a stream weight of five or six pounds. It yields exceptional sport in waters where it is new to the angler's rod. The dressing of feathers which it prefers, when tied on No. 10 sprout hooks, are those of the March brown, coachman and brown hackle. The habitat of this trout is in the streams of the Sierra Nevada, from Mt. Shasta southward, but it is best known in the McCloud River. Two other rainbows are the Kern River trout, and the golden trout of Mt. Whitney, California, both being of peculiar interest from the fact that they are found in no other water than the Kern River and its tribu- taries. Both are very game, taking the fly on the surface and fighting hard by deep and long surges. The Mt. Whitney trout is the most beautiful in color of any salmon trout. Of the three foreign species of salmon trout transplanted to American waters, the best known by anglers is the German or brown trout {Salmo fario), which was planted in 1883. An unpardon- able mistake has been made in planting them in small streams where they feed on and destroy the native fontinalis. Being able to exist and thrive in water of a higher temperature than is adapted to other trout they should never be placed in 22 Popular Fresh=Water Game Fish streams which the latter inhabit. In the waters of the Eastern States the brown trout grows very rapidly, averaging nearly a pound increase in weight in a year. It is in its prime for the rod from the 1st of May to the middle of September, during which period it rises freely to the fly, better in the evening than in the brighter hours of the day, a habit equally prevalent among other trout. I have had them repeatedly leap above the surface on the fly in the swift running waters of the Beaverkill (N. Y.), and have caught them up to three pounds in weight, living in the same pools as the small-mouthed bass; indeed, I have more than once caught a double of brown trout and bass. The flies most luring are a small silver doctor, red spinner, and beaverkill. I have caught many brown trout of large size in deep pools on the worm, phantom minnow, and silver soldier spinner; in fact it will go savagely for pretty nearly any lure. Another foreigner is the Lake Leven trout (Salmo levenensis). It grows to the size of four pounds but the average is much less. It is about equal in fighting qualities to our native trout, rising well to the artificial fly. The last of the foreign species is the salmon trout (Salmo trutta). Various popular names have been given to this fish, such as guiniad, bull trout, and salmon trout. Its habits are sim- ilar to our own native sea trout. It is migratory, and is found running up streams emptying in the Atlantic. It is a game fighter, but more apt to 23 Fish and Fishing take a troll of natural minnows or an artificial phantom than the fly, however carefully cast be- fore it. CHARR-TROUT The charrs are more highly organized than the salmon trout; they live and thrive in wild waters of a temperature not more than 65°, and in what- ever water they may be, they constantly seek the Charr= higher reaches to spawn. In New trout England, Canada, and also along the south shore of Long Island, one of these charrs {jontinalis), goes down to salt water and feeds, grows lusty, getting flesh of a deeper salmon and a more robust form, and remains in his new hab- itat until the instinct of spawning impels it to migrate in the following spring inward and up- ward. Other fresh- water fish find a congenial habitat in salt water. The Lake trout {Cristivomer namaycush), is known by many names. In the Great Lake region it is called the Mackinaw trout; in the Northwest it is known as the namaycush, Sisco- wet, in other sections buckskin, togue, forked- tail, lunge, tulade, and masamacush. It is a large fish, growing to a reputed weight of 100 pounds, but the average is about six pounds. The lake trout rises to the surface very early in the spring and the angler trolls for it on or near the sur- face of the water, the fish taking the lure vi- ciously, but rarely jumping into the air. It takes the spoon well, but the favorite bait is a golden 24 Popular Fresh=Water Game Fish shiner or carp; the larger the bait the larger the fish caught. We now come to the most beloved of all charrs, the native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)^ the objective quarry for the skilled and the tyro in their mountain outings. Its structure is formed and fitted for its wild life in the tumultuous moun- tain brooks, shaped to breast the rushing rapids wherein it poises, self-contained in body, and, apparently, in spirit. It will leap over and some- times swim up the centre of three feet of water of a dam over which a downpour twelve or more inches in volume is ceaselessly passing; or it can be seen in a quiet pool above the dam disporting, and leaping leisurely and lazily from the water. No other fish known to anglers possesses habits so free from grossness as the brook trout of the East. Its primary need is oxygen, and it seeks it in the upper reaches of strongly aerated mountain streams. There cast a fly, and when hooked, the trout seems to know every rift, nook, rooted hold of its rock-ribbed environment. In such streams, the trout are compelled to forage vigorously and industriously for food, and the wear and tear of vitality is constantly at work on the muscles; it finds little rest where no deep pools abound to which the fish can retire for security, repose, and digestion. Very different is the life in deep-pool lakes; there they feed mostly at the bottom, com- ing to the shallows and surface at sundown. The Dolly Varden trout (Salvelinus parkei), also known as the bull trout, is widely distributed 25 Fish and Fishing in the Western waters of the Rocky Mountain water shed. It is found as far North as Alaska, and South to the upper Sacramento River, thence eastward to Montana and Idaho waters, and, in these places, is called the red-spotted trout, malma, Golet, and Oregon charr. None of the trout or charrs rise more freely to the artificial fly than the Dolly Varden, The Eastern charr, that goes to the sea, is the jontiiialis, the Western one is the Dolly Varden. The effect of their sojourn in salt water is shown in their rapid growth, thicker body, and striking change in coloration. The Dolly Varden grows to a weight of seven pounds, and when taken, as it often is, in a sal- mon pool, the angler is apt to mistake its strong surges for those of a small but sprightly salmon. Perhaps no fish has been a subject of so much discussion as the Sunapee trout {Salvelinus al- finus aureolus). It is only found in Sunapee Lake and Dan Hole, Carroll County, both in New Hampshire, and in Flood's Pond, Ellsworth, Maine. These waters are very deep and pure, and contain large numbers of landlocked smelt and crustaceans, upon which the trout feed, to such repletion that they do not rise to surface food of any kind, certainly, most infrequently, if at all, to the artificial fly; but on the trolling spoon, or live smelt in still fishing, they show grand fighting vigor. The bait should be lowered sixty to seventy feet, ground baiting for several days before fishing being most fruitful in scores. 26 CHAPTER II Popular Salt= Water Game Fish LEAPING TUNA If I were asked to mention the salt-water an- gler's paradise, the reply would be, without hesita- tion, the beautiful waters of Avalon Bay and the Islands of San Clemente, Santa Catalina, and Santa Barbara, on the California coast. It is there, if anywhere on earth, the true angler may see "high ideals in big-fish angling, and fair play to the game." He may see *' fishing for tuna, tarpon, and the great black sea-bass, the trio which are the tiger and elephant trinity of the angling world." Yet such monsters are taken Fifh ^^ seven-foot rods, made in two pieces, and not weighing more than twenty-five ounces. On such rods, fish weigh- ing 400 pounds have been played and gaffed, after tremendous battles where both sides have equal chances to win. There the novice learns his task at a cost in new tackle that comes high. Even the veteran, now and then, to save his life, lets go a rod he fain would keep. Angling by such meth- ods is but of recent date, according to the author- 27 Fish and Fishing ity of C. F. Holder, whose influence in hold- ing up a high standard of sport is highly com- mendable. "^ Tuna angling is a modern sport confined so far as known, to Santa Catalina, Cahfornia. The locality is limited to about four miles of coast in the lee of the Island Mountains Localftv '^^i*^^ afford several open bays, generally smooth, the wind only blowing part of the day, thus giving the angler perfect conditions, without which tuna fishing would be impossible and extremely dangerous. "^"^^ The tvma is an ocean wanderer, found in many parts of the world, known as the horse mackerel, tunny, and great albacore. Everywhere it is a terror to the smaller denizens of the deep, feeding on blue-fish, menhaden, her- the"Tuna ^^^§' ^^ ^^^ Atlantic, gorging itself with the great flying fish in the Pacific. For centuries it has been caught in great nets in the Mediterranean Sea. From the St. Lawrence, along the coast of Nova Scotia, down to Cape Cod in New Eng- land, it is com- mon, and at times is har- pooned by the Position before the strike. fishermen. Some specimens attain a weight of 1,200 to 1,500 pounds. The "leaping" tuna has been rightly named by its champion, Charles F. Holder, author of "Big Popular Salt=Water Game Fish Game Fishes," to which I am indebted for much information in these notes, as I have not, as yet, personally had an encounter with this fish. ^The tuna, like the tarpon, is a lofty tumbler, leaping gracefully in- to the air after its prey, the flying fish. Its large size and graceful build, with its broad-forked tail, show a model of speed ; it is a beautiful fish, and when in the water appears to be green, but on being landed, the upper portion is a bright iridescent blue, the under part being grayish sil- ver. No more inspiring sight can be imagined than a large school of these fish. They arrive in immense num- bers at Santa Catalina between the 15th of May and the 15th of June, and at once divide into small companies of fifty to one hundred, playing on the surface, moving about in triangular form, with their spike dorsal fins out of the water. Suddenly, in different sections, may be seen a great splash of white spray; dozens of fly- ing fish, scattered like gigantic dragon-flies, skim along in frightened confusion. This is the first signal to a host of impatient anglers who have been watching for days for the arrival of the bird fish upon which this giant comes from the deep ocean for slaughter. Such a game fish must needs have special tackle, if taken in true sportsman's style, and such tackle, 29 striking the fish. Its Leap Fish and Fishing unless of the very best and most expensive make, has no chance whatever. Even the boats are "designed specially for tuna fishing, being broad- beamed launches, built for three persons ; Boat*^ two anglers who sit side by side in chairs facing the stern and the boatman acting as helmsman, gaffer, and engineer of the three, or more, horse-power gasoline engine. Overhead is an awning which is raised by the gaffer when the strike comes; each boat has a flag bearing the figure of a tuna which is thrown to the breeze the moment the fish is hooked." The fish are rarely seen near the mainland, the islands, where they feed, being twenty miles from shore. Naturally, so active and bold a fish taken so far from shore requires good, patient, as well as strenuous handling, and the novice would do well to make a preliminary trip to watch the veterans in their struggle. Anglers are now enabled to purchase rods, reels, and lines of special make for this fish, similar, and of the same character as those used in tarpon fishing, though of the two, the tuna being more active requires a little stronger tackle. The rod may be either of split bamboo, green- hart, or noibwood; perhaps one of each would be wise and come in useful. They all should be from seven to eight feet long, made in two parts, a butt and tip, the latter of medium pliability, not so stiff that it will not bend, nor yet so pli- able tha't a heavy fish cannot be lifted. They should have double-bell guides, silver mountings, 30 POPULAR SALT-WATER GAME FISH Popular Salt=Water Game Fish and weigh about twenty-five ounces, each rod being provided with an extra tip. A number of rehable makers are now supplying special tuna reels, some having excellent ideas that others lack. It is a question of taste. A good „ . reel costs from $30 up, these, of course, Reds being perfect machines, adjusted so well that a w^hirl will cause the handle to run for some time, and they are not likely to fall apart during a Baited double hook. hard fight. It should have a capacity of 300 yards of Cuttyhunk line, when wet, with a drag to prevent overrunning; and attached to the lower crossbar there should be a leather pad lined with moose hide. The brake should never be used unless the line is wet, as the friction will burn the line. The reel should be perfectly fast to the rod. No de- vice where it slips into a socket will do; a loose reel and the game is over; so have it lashed to the rod perfectly immovable. Concerning the necessary lines, choose one overstrong, because con- fidence in the capture of the fish is greatly to be desired. All anglers know that "doubtful feeling," when a fish is going at a ripping speed, and then all of a sudden makes a bound into the air. The "confidence" in the line's strength 31 Fish and Fishing makes the playing more free, and the mind is at rest. For that reason choose No. 21 or 24 Cutty- hunk, tested to pull forty-two pounds to forty-eight pounds dead-weight. By such a line the tuna has been known to pull a heavy boat ten miles. The leader can be six or seven feet in length, of phos- phor-bronzed wire, and the next ten feet of line should be doubled, as it is liable to chafe on the back of the fish in a long struggle. Every angler has his choice knot in which to Hm^ Baited single hook. tie the line to leader, but a strong, sure and safe one is absolutely necessary; the same choice is maintained regarding hooks, though the favorites are a Van Vleck or an O'Shaugh- nessy, the latter a No. 10/0. Between hook and line there should be three strong brass swivels. The best, indeed the only, bait used is a large flying fish hooked in various ways according to . the angler's fancy. The tuna always strikes at the eye of the bait, so that most anglers hook the bait through the lips with the barb point- ing upward; then sew up the mouth to make the fish run smoothly. Everything being made ready, the fisherman starts for the ground before daylight ; others follow the schools at all times. Many consider a rising 32 Popular Salt=Water Game Fish tide best, but like all game fish, the tuna has its off and on times for taking the lure cast before it on its onward rushes for the flying Bait*"^ prey. Sometimes the water swarms with them on the feed, but they will not strike. The advantage of being among them when the fly- ing fish leaps from the water, with the tuna after it, is great, just as when a trout leaps for the natural fly and an artificial fly is cast in its place. Way to bait hook. V But when the bait is snapped up, the game has begun, though hooked is not landed; like the tar- pon, many are hooked and not boated; while the reel is heard to sing such a tune as no other fish can make; and so the battle rages on equal terms, sometimes for hours, and miles are cut through the water at a spanking rate before the gamy fish is brought alongside. By no means subdued or conquered, it lashes the water with its broad tail, even at the time it slides into the boat, fighting continuously from the beginning to the time the gaff goes home. Many a fish is lost at that critical moment, and a cool, business-like gaffer is a decided advantage in tuna fishing; for a more well equipped adversary the angler cannot imagine, nor does he wish for such, unless en- 33 Fish and Fishing dowed with more than average strength, nerve, and endurance. TARPON Tarpon fishing with rod and reel is a modern sport of comparatively recent date; twenty years ago no attempt had been made to take it by this method. To-day, angling for this magnificent fish has become an established recreation in the famous resorts where 'they abound; many clubs have been formed in which members have strict rules whereby tackle shall not exceed that used in other game fishing. The first tarpon Takmg taken in this way was by Wm. S. Jones, of Philadelphia, at the Indian River Inlet. It weighed 130 pounds and was six feet in length, fighting the angler over two hours before it was brought to gaff. The incident aroused much in- terest among anglers all over the country, and Jupiter Bay soon became a pilgrimage of deter- mined fishermen bent on trying their luck on so formidable a foe. That they were there, ready to receive them, was proved, and a season rarely passes by, that the total catch does not foot up 300 to 400 fish. This Indian River, so called, is in reality a beautiful lagoon, or inland sea, of varying depth and width, fairly alive with fish; the river bed in parts is a solid mass of oysters and other shell-fish, but the great attraction that draws the tarpon, sharks, and other monsters, is the vast shoals of 34 Popular Salt=Water Game Fish mullet upon which they feed. All down the river, from the mouth of the St. Lucie past Fort Pierce, I saw these lively mullet, like little streaks RiveT^ of molten silver, shoot above the surface of the glassy water. Sometimes I observed a great dark form dash away from our sailboat driving the little mullet into the air, hundreds at a time. The Indian River inlet is, at the mouth of Jupiter Bay, not over a mile in width, but in the deep blue water one sees great monsters wallow- ing, very few feet from the shore. Lake Worth lies but five miles southward; from there down to Miami, round the peninsula, to Fort Myers, and Tampa, the tarpon is found in its greatest abun- dance. Other localities made famous by anglers are Captiva Pass, Boca Grande Pass, Marco, Naples, Pine Island, and Homasossa. On the Louisiana coast the tarpon is called the grande ecaille ; along the Texas shore the tarpon, and savanilla. The tarpon is a migratory fish, moving north along the coast of Mexico up to Louisiana. They appear around the Florida coast early in February, Migration . . . ,, . , .*' mcreasmg rapidly m numbers m March, April, and May, entering rivers sometimes ten miles from the mouth. The tarpon first ar- rives in Aransas Pass, Texas, early in March, com- ing up the coast in schools from the South, journey- ing onward along the coast to Galveston and other points. From the middle of April they congre- gate in that locality in large numbers, but will not take the bait, apparently this being their spawning 35 Fish and Fishing season. The latter part of May and June they take the mullet readily. ^^ The tarpon is said to attain a length of over eight feet and a weight of 400 pounds; as a food fish it is of no value, and only the larger specimens are kept for mounting as trophies, the smaller ones being released to grow and be caught on a future occasion. Some are so injured during the combat that they are retained, and the beautiful scales taken off to be sold by dealers as souvenirs. Many scales are now used as postal cards, the lucky anglers sending them to distant friends, writing name, date and weight of fish on the inside. The tarpon is, in its habits, a wanderer and a voracious feeder upon mullet, sardines, and other small fry, dashing into thick schools, devouring enormous quantities, going into shallow bays, and up various rivers in search of prey. To the seine fisherman it is a dangerous fish to catch, tearing and smashing the nets to shreds in its leaps and efforts to escape. A first view of the tarpon is a sight not easily forgotten; in cruising 'round the Florida coast you see an enormous mass of shining light, like a blanket of silver dollars; up it goes high into the air, sometimes twenty or thirty of them, and you may sail right in the midst of them and fish for days before you catch one; at other times the first cast is rewarded by a magnificent strike that sends the shivers right through you. At times there is no question but that the sport is dangerous, even hair raising. 36 Popular Salt=Water Game Fish Incidents are recorded where the fish leap head- long into the boat. If first seen at close quarters, especially front view, with wide-open Sp^o"rf "^"""^ jaws and blood-red gills, it is a most sinister object, as ugly a customer as one wants to meet. Its large eyes glare, its lower jaw protrudes, highly suggestive of a determined nature to smash things in general, and the novice trembles for a time, wishing he were safe on shore. The tarpon is a long, slender, thin fish of the her- ring type. Its tail is deeply forked, a powerful organ by which it leaps; the upper portion of the back is of a metallic purple-blueish cast; the rest of the body iridescent silver. Its scales are remarkably large, some on the big fish being 3 J X 3 inches, the exposed half seeming to have been dipped in molten silver and then frosted. One of the largest fish taken was that by Dr. Howe at Tampico, Mexico. It weighed 223 pounds, had a length of 7 feet, 2 inches, and girth of 46 inches. In a little less than a anTlRecor'd month's fishing a famous English rodster, W. H. Grenfell, took 100 fish at Boca Grande. But this is a record not often reached; it is only in a few localities, and very seldom, that they are really plentiful. Most of the dealers have now a regulation tarpon tackle; everything can be got in the large cities to fit the angler out for the fri y. Von Hofe has a special rod, reel, and line of their own make. A member of the firm having held the world's record for a time makes it a surety that their expe- 37 Fish and Fishing rience may be relied on to furnish tackle that suffices. But tastes differ somewhat, both as to length of rod and thickness of line; those inclined to be humanly reasonable use longer rods and lighter lines; such a rod may be 7i feet long, having a single long tip and short butt, made either of greenheart, snake wood, or noib-wood; the latter has come to be a favorite wood among certain anglers, being firm, close, and of elastic fibre, yet remarkably light. The standard tarpon rod of split bamboo, 7 feet long, weighing 26 ounces, has been known to take a 600-pound fish. Of course, the diffi- culties in landing large fish increase with the length of the rod; it is wise to possess two or more rods (if the angler's pockets are deep enough), and they should be kept in a stiff leather case made for the purpose. For such fishing it would be the height of absurdity to use a common or cheap reel. Twenty-five dollars up to $60, is none too much to pay, and it must hold 600 feet of wet No. 21 Cuttyhunk line, or good linen of equivalent size. It should be fitted with a good drag and have a leather or rubber thumb pad (former preferred), fastened to the crossbar to press against the line. In the matter of lines the angler will do well to have several of various sizes, the novice beginning with No. 25; as he becomes expert he can use No. 21. Skilful anglers have taken the largest fish on No. 18, which is as light as possible, with safety. These lines cost from $3 to $4. 38 Popular Salt=Water Game Fish Regarding hooks, quantity as well as quality is essential, the Van Vleck perhaps being most used, though the O'Shaughnessy 10/0 has its followers. The hook is fastened to a snell of phosphor-bronzed wire five feet in length, divided into three lengths each connected by a swivel. Several dozens of these snells should be provided, costing, complete, fifty cents each. This makes up the tackle. A leather rod rest makes fishing easier work, and can be fastened either to waist or boat seat; without such a con- venience, the fishing, especially when waiting, grill- ing in the heat for a strike, becomes a nuisance. The night before fishing the line, if new, should be stretched, and it should be wet on arriving at the grounds, and if the boatman is a man of ex- perience, he will get your reel and lash it tightly to the rod;, whether it has a patent fastener or not. The pleasure of tarpon fishing to the angler is doubled, especially if he be a novice, in securing the right kind of a boatman, one with a cheerful, yet respectful disposition, above all, one who knows his business, and is able, as well as willing to show the peculiarities of the ground. For a great deal depends on tides, wind, and a knowledge of the habits of the mullet. Lastly, but not least, he should have a cool head, quick Boatman ^y^' ^^^ deliberate decisive action; in short, know thoroughly how the work should be done, and be able to direct others, and let them do it. When the fishing ground is reached 39 Fish and Fishing the first thing to be done is to screw the rod rest to the seat between the angler's legs; then the line is unreeled, fastened to the snell, and the hook is baited. Meanwhile, the angler is seated in his chair reeling off with his left hand the length of line which the boatman considers requisite, sometimes thirty or fifty feet, according to the location of the quarry. The best time to cast the bait is at the beginning of the flood tide, though the change to the ebb tide is good. When the mullet come in to the inner Mullet bait for tarpon. waters, the fishing is poor. An interesting arti- cle that appeared in "Outing," says: "Tarpon do not make a first attack upon their food with their mouths. They have no teeth except a roughening on the edges of the lips, sharp enough to cut the best line instantly, if it comes in contact with them. They secure their food by striking with their tails, and then turning about to pick up the fish stunned by the blow." As soon as the tide has turned and the fish are feeding, having the bait properly fixed on the hook ready Fi^tnff *^ ^^^*' ^^y forty feet astern of the boat, the angler is waiting, holding the rod across his lap, right thumb on the thumb brake, the left grasping the cork grip above the reel; the 40 Popular SaIt=Watcr Game Fish tarpon rushes at the bait with a tremendous blow. Opinions differ much as to the wisdom of strik- ing immediately; some give a little line, but I am inclined to approve Mr. Holder's advice, " to sway the point forward and strike at once, give a power- ful backward sway, the thumb pressing hard on the leather brake." The fish will at once jerk away, but the angler will repeat the strike, thus setting the hook in the jaw. The fish struggles violently while the rod must be held up as firmly as possible, "giving the butt," then slipping it into the leather socket. In tarpon fishing there are many strikes, few hooked, fewer killed. It is well known what tantrums the tarpon is capable of, above and be- low water, and it need not be repeated here ; suffice to say, the method of turning and bringing it toward the boat, after much line has been given, is to keep the fish well in hand, and con- . „ stantly to *'pump." The rushes must be stopped by the thumb and upper-hand pressure, and the moment this is ac- complished seize the reel handle and turn; then drop the tip very low, and with both hands, the right on the brake, lift steadily back until the rod is vertical; then lower the tip suddenly, reeling rapidly; each time the angler gains several feet. By these short "pumps" the fish is easier brought alongside. If the fish is not desired as a trophy the gaffer seizes the double portion of the line, inserts a short gaff just beneath the lower jaw, and holds the fish while it is unhooked 41 Fish and Fishing and then cast off. If the fish is to be kept, it is got into position, and the gaff placed under the head and jerked heavily upward between the gills and the tip of the jaw, and the fish's head held partly out of the water against the boat while it strug- gles. The boatman steps on the rail forcing it to the water's edge and slides the fish in upon the canvas at the bottom of the boat; if the tarpon still struggles it can be thrown over it. Some anglers kill the game with a revolver or a club. If the fish is firmly hooked, the boatman now cuts the line or unfastens it and baits a new hook, and the game is repeated as before. BLACK SEA-BASS This huge salt-water giant is another ocean wonder taken on rod and line within the last few years; its fighting qualities mainly consist in bull- like resistance, savage tugs, and towing the boat and anglers, sometimes for hours till tired. Then it is gaffed and rolled into the boat. It does not, like the tuna or tarpon, make long rushes, or leap above the surface, but generally goes deep down and along. It is common both on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, where it has been caught weighing up to 500 pounds. In its gen- eral structure it closely resembles the fresh- water bass, and is often miscalled the black grouper, and Florida jewfish, but the two latter are dis- tinct species. Along the California coast, especially around 42 Popular Salt=\Vater Game Fish its islands, there arc vast submarine forests of great density, immense, broad, deep-green leaves, growing to a length of several hundred feet, sway- ing back and forth in the current, forming a forest maze of sea-weed so thick as to be hidden from human eyes. Here, in the deep blue water is the home of the gigantic black sea-bass. Innumerable smaller fish of many kinds swim in and out of the tangled mass, while the monsters slowly move among them, at times darting after them churning the water into a veritable maelstrom. To such an environment the sea-bass is supposed to arrive in April. About July and August, the fish spawns, and fish caught at this time are filled with enormous masses of eggs which are deposited under the weeds in shallow w^ater about twenty feet deep near the shore. During this time the fish are voracious, eagerly taking various baits. About the last of November they become scarcer and are rarely caught. It is supposed they run in schools at this season, and retire to deep water. Grounds ^^^ J^^^S ^^ the black sea-bass are never caught; it is believed they stay and feed at the bottom below the weeds, and then go out to the ocean, and do not return till mature fish. Small fish under 100 pounds are rarely, if ever, seen. Fishing for this giant as a sport has long been in vogue at the islands off Los Angeles County, and previous to 1895 they were caught entirely by hand lines ; but about that time a large fish was 43 Fish and Fishing taken with rod and reel by Gen. Charles Viele. Since then that method has been employed; it is a sport for two men in a staunch boat, Pi^^* but to try it single-handed is a danger- Taken on . • n p [^od ous experiment, especially tor a novice, as a large fish may tow a frail craft out to sea and so capsize it. Expert and bold anglers have done it, but they are men who thor- FISH UP TO 20 POUNDi= FISH OP TO 30 POUNDS TARPON 60 OR 100 POUNDS Actual size of lines. oughly understand the difficulties and dangers to be encountered. The tackle used for this gigantic fish is identical with that used for tuna fishing; some use the wire _ . . leader, a few feet longer, and above it a fifteen-foot upper leader of strong cod line to give the boatman purchase in gaffing. The fishing is done from an eighteen-foot launch, light enough for the fish to tow readily, large enough to hold, besides two anglers and boat- man, three bass of 200 pounds each. The launch is anchored near the weed beds, the anchor being 44 Popular Salt=Water Game Fish buoyed so that it can be tossed over the moment the strike comes. Various baits are used, a Hve whitefish, or one-half a barracuda, also three or four pounds of albacore. These are taken on or very near the bottom. At times there is a long and tedious wait for the strike, and when it does come, it is slow and deliberate, as becomes so dignified and portly a personage; after about twenty feet of line is gone and the bait properly in its mouth, a good solid strike is made; then the angler must be prepared for a violent shock, so strong and heavy, that it is enough to turn the boat completely Fishing ^ round and away in an instant, the reel working at utmost speed ; the question of the length of time that the battle lasts depends entirely upon the size of the fish and the expert way in which the angler plays it; some bring it alongside in a remarkably short time for so heavy a quarry. It is then gaffed, the boat heeled over to the edge of the water, and the fish rolled in. The Florida jewfish is found all along shore on the Indian River and various places round the peninsula. It grows to an immense Jewfish sixe and is caught near shore at the Grouper town of Tarpon, Aransas Pass. Its capture is identical with that of the sea-bass and the play is the same except that they have a habit of running to a deep cavern in the rocks and there sulking. What is known as the large black grouper, also caught on the Florida Keyes, attains a weight of 45 Fish and Fishing over 600 pounds, but it is comparatively scarce compared to the jewfish and bass. THE YELLOW TAIL The Pacific Coast is rich in game fish, or rather rich in anglers who, at all times, prefer to catch their quarry by game methods, and no fish is more popular or more deserving of that ing on the name than the lively and powerful Pacific yellow tail, or amber fish. Every- body takes a hand in the fun when the first great school comes up in the Bay of Avalon, about the 1st of April. Not all fish with rod and reel; hand lines are much in evidence, as the fish is a large one, requiring great strength to hold, the average being twenty-five pounds, some running up to eighty pounds. The tyro will find he is soon to be engaged with a tackle smasher, in fact rod smashing is the rule unless they are wielded by old or experienced hands. The beautiful bay may be as calm as a mirror, when, all at once, a big school appears chasing the smelts right on to the beach, breaking up the water into a mass of foam. Scores of boats put out among them, and excitement reigns supreme, for the yellow tail is a fighter, a veri- table "blue-fish" in shape and pugnacity, the true type of a real game fish. Its most con- spicuous feature is the powerful forked tail of a vivid yellow, which is carried out in a stripe along the middle of the body, the back and upper 46 Popular Salt=Water Game Fish sides are a rich oHve brown in the water, chang- ing in the sunhght to a bright iridescent blue, the lower part being of a pearly silver. Yellow tails are voracious feeders, devouring immense numbers of smelts, flying fish, anchovies, and sardines. They are often attracted and kept along- side the boat by "chumming" in both trolling and casting, or drifting. Like many other fish in this locality they arrive about the month of May in large schools, and then break up into small companies, of greater or less numbers, running North as far as Santa Barbara, and South as far as the shallow bays of lower California. Many anglers make a visit to the Islands Santa Catalina and San Clemente, on purpose to get ac- quainted with larger game, but if the season per- mits they rarely go away without trying con- clusions with the yellow tail and they are not disappointed in the result. For that Fishine reason a typical style of boat and boat- man has developed specially adapted for this fishing. Gasoline launches from sixteen to twenty feet are run by the boatman who acts as engineer, guide, and gaffer; the boat has two chair seats at and facing the stern, though the angler may play the fish standing should he prefer or work better that way. The tackle used is similar to that suited to tuna fishing; the rod not longer than eight feet, weighing not over twenty-five ounces, the line being a No. 15, or in some instances a 12- strand Cuttyhunk from 300 to 40O feet long. The 47 Fish and Fishing hook an O'Shaughnessy No. 7^0 or 8/0 with a six or eight-inch piano-wire leader, in two hnks, and fastened with a double swivel. The bait is either a smelt or sardine from four to six inches in length. To bait it, the hook is entered at the mouth coming out at the gill ; then turned it is embedded in the belly of the fish, so that the entire hook, except the shank, is hidden. The mouth is then wound with a five-inch fine silver wire attached to the hook, which prevents the bait from whirling too rapidly. At How to hook the bait. times fish of exceptionally large size may be taken on a flying fish. The bait is then cast, and about fifty or sixty feet of line unreeled, and the launch kept moving slowly near the sea- weeds. The fishing is best in the morning, from sunrise to midday, and on a flood tide. At the first sound of the reel, the boatman stops the engine, the fish at once turning the boat around, rush- Fish^ ^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ there in frantic efforts to escape; so powerful are these lunges at times, that the angler is forced to give line, or the tackle goes. If the angler can withstand it, then the rod is too stiff for the code which holds and is most in favor with members of angling clubs. 48 Popular Salt=Water Game Fish The hne is kept taut, reeled in when chance is given; if it is impossible to reel, a series of short "pumps" is tried. This ingenious device is used with effect in all game fishing. "Pumping" is done by raising the rod slowly; then it is suddenly dropped, and the slack line ^ . rapidly reeled; this method repeated, Pumping , „ . ,1 . 1 .1 r. 1 . graaually gams the day, and the hsh is brought up. The yellow tail makes many rushes, and "pumping" comes into play each time; it is ejamy to the last, up to the time the Chumming ^ «• . • i i <• . gaii enters its throat, and even atter it is lifted into the boat. At times the fish is a coy biter; then "chumming" is the order of fishing; but when it is once persuaded sport is assured. Being one of the commonest fishes of the Pacific Coast the yellow tail is rarely eaten ; those weigh- ing from fifteen to twenty pounds, if properly cooked, are excellent eating, though the larger ones are somewhat tough. There is another genus called the amber jack, common Jack^^ on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and plenti- ful in the vicinity of Palm Beach; it is caught weighing from forty up to one hundred pounds, and is also a vigorous fighter; but the medium-sized fish are the hardest fighters; this may be said of all game fishes in fresh as well as salt water, naturally the heavy fish not having the activity and snap of the younger specimens. 4d Fish and Fishing SQUETEAGUE OR WEAKFISH OF THE ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC In abundance and popularity this fish is better known to more anglers of the Atlantic Coast than any caught on the line. The reason is obvious; it is a bold and ready biter and any angler who knows how to go about it, lands from ten to fifty fish in one tide. It is a hand- some as well as fairly nutritious food fish, afford- ing considerable satisfaction to hosts of anglers throughout the warm summer months. The squeteague is found on the Atlantic Coast, from Cape Cod to eastern Florida, and is abun- dant throughout this range, except in regions where its productiveness is interfered with by the blue- fish. It is then more scarce. But it is nowhere at any season more plentiful, than in summer along the stretch of shore from Nor- folk to Nantucket. Its wanderings vary; its habits are identical with the blue-fish, but the latter being the swiftest swimmer and the most voracious feeder, possibly interferes with the food supply of the squeteague. In the South it is called the spotted trout, sea trout and salmon. About Cape Cod it is called the drummer; about Buzzards Bay, yellow fins; in New York and New Jersey, weakfish; in Virginia, blue-fish; the name sque- teague is of Indian origin, and squit, succo- teague, squitee, and chickwit, are variations of 50 POPULAR SALT-WATER GAME FISH Popular Salt=Water Game Fish the name in different ancient and modern dia- lects. On the Pacific Coast it is known as the white sea-bass; other species, larger or smaller, are known as the gulf bass, sea trout, blue-fish, and . guaymas. The white sea-bass attains a w^eight of 100 pounds on the California coast in the vicinity of Santa Catalina. The average weight of the Atlantic species is from two to ten pounds, though specimens have been taken up to thirty pounds. The name weakfish is not applied because it is not a gamy fighter, but for the reason that the bony processes of its mouth are unusually tender, so that it requires some skill to land a large fish with- out pulling the hook away. The Cape Cod fishermen call the weakfish "drummer," because of the peculiar noise it pro- duces when travelling in schools. Weakfish are erratic in temperament and move- ments. To-day they are taken on a certain tide, to-morrow they will bite on another; sometimes a windy day is good, at others a calm day; thunder drives them to the bottom, and perhaps two days will intervene before they rise again to the sur- face. If sharks are in the vicinity, the tackle may be put up for the day; any loud noise in the boat, splashing of oars in the water, even the dropping of the anchor too forcefully, has a ten- dency to drive them to pastures new. At low tide they go into holes and sand bars and stay there till the tide moves in ; at night time they run 51 Fish and Fishing up the creeks to feed in the salt meadows, and there will take the hook freely, especially if baited with shrimps. Their habit of floating slowly into the bays with the incoming tide is mostly on, or near the surface, at flood, or nearly flood; the largest specimens may be seen at the top of the water, with the tall dorsal fin just above the surface ; at times they will jump and splash much in the manner of trout. ^ The most favorable tide for catching them is generally considered the latter half of the flood and the first half of the ebb tide, in the bays and flats. In the ocean, the ebbing tide is best. It is necessary to ''feel" for weakfish; sometimes they run on the surface, at other times on the bottom; it all depends on where the food happens to be in that particular place. It is well to try the bottom, then a few feet from the bottom, then at the top. The usual rig for weakfishing is a light, stiff rod, not more than five feet six inches long, weighing ten to fifteen ounces, made of bamboo or green- heart, in two pieces, butt and tip, having good solid guides. Use a linen line, fine, but strong, and multiplying reel, holding 300 feet. The baited hook ^ . . should be attached to the line with a three or four foot double leader (without sinker), and allowed to drift with the current. If the current be very swift use a split shot, or a pearl squid. If the fish are not feeding on the surface use a one-ounce sinker, attached just above the leader with float. If fishing deep a 2^-ounce sinker should be used. 52 Popular Salt=Water Game Fish The four principal baits for weakfish are shrimps, shcddcr crabs, sand worms, and spearing. The last named are best, especially for the big tide runners. They are always hungry, so that the bait most convenient to get will prob- ably do. Whatever bait the angler may use, he must remember that "chumming" is one of the necessary things in weakfishing; "chum" con- stantly, but not too freely. Shrimps are the best to use for "chum," next best are chopped Lafay- ettes, porgies, sea robins, hard clams, and horse mussels. There is never any doubt when a weakfish bites; it does not nibble round the hook, but takes the bait at one fair swoop and then starts off with it like a limited express with time to make up. It is a shy fish, easily frightened, and the man who uses a small line, light leaders and snells to the hook, is the one who is apt to have the best luck. When the fish strikes keep a taut line all the time; lead the fish instead of tugging or hauling it, and let it run if it wishes, but lead it back and land it with a net. The latter is perhaps the most important part of the tackle. A net is sure and safe. Lifting the fish over the boat side leads to more losses than anything else. Weakfish may be caught in the surf by the same Ocean and method as that used in striped-bass Fishing fishing, with tackle similar but lighter. They may also be caught in the ocean, trolling in the manner employed for blue- fishing. For bait use the artificial squid of bone, 53 Fish and Fishing cedar, or pearl. By these last two methods much larger fish are captured than those caught in bays and channels at flood tide. The Pacific squeteague, popularly known on the California coast as the white sea-bass, ranges the coast even to Canada, and is most common from south of Magdalena Bay to Santa Barbara; and like the Eastern species is very Squeteague uncertain in its movements and equally so in biting. The season may be said to be from May 1st to July, or even Au- gust; some seasons the fish is rare and will not bite; again it comes in numbers and affords sport long to be remembered. Charles F. Holder records, with a fellow-angler, taking ten of these fish, all over fifty pounds in weight, between 9 and 12 o'clock, not 100 feet from the beach in Avalon Bay. He further states: "A large school entered the bay and remained ten days, affording ex- cellent sport. In our boat my companion and I each hooked a large fish at the same moment; one rushed ahead, the other darted astern, and we were at once involved in a most spirited tug- of-war which resulted in the loss of one fish. At one time twenty or thirty small boats were fishing, and sometimes half of these would have 'bass* hooked at the same time; the scene, as the big fish towed the boats about, the cries and shouts F^^lf^ as lines were parted, or rods succumbed, being a most animated one. I recall one rush of a bass hooked by a lady, which towed the boat almost entirely across the bay before the fish 54 Popular Salt=Water Game Fish could be checked. The game later tipped the scales at eighty pounds." Of course, no such woakfishing occurs on the Eastern coast. The white bass is taken almost invariably in deep water along the rocks, and will often plunge down and sulk; then plunging along, it makes inshore rushes to reach deep channels. Not all anglers use the rod, many fish with the line by hand; but the most artistic and humane use a rod of greenheart or bamboo, seven to eight feet long, weighing up to fifteen ounces, with a line of 15 to 18 Cutty hunk, or even larger, as the fish are given to sulking and therefore have to be lifted, once in a while. The hook should be a 9/0 Limerick, with a piano-wire leader a foot Used ^ ^^ length. The bait is a smelt or sardine, about six inches in length, and is impaled through the mouth, the point thrust through the belly of the fish and the mouth of the latter bound and fastened to the shank of the hook by a silver wire, which should be attached to every hook. To prevent the bait from whirling and the line from untwisting, the leader should have at least two swivels. The method of fishing is to troll slowly, just outside the sea-weed; the fish nearly always swim on the surface, in small schools, and are easily recognized by their dorsal fins peeping above the T ir water. The fish are not easily alarmed, when the bait is cast among them, for the reason that it is the habit of the flying-fish to repeatedly drop with a splash in all directions, and Fish and Fishing they are taken by the largest fish as food. For that reason, the fl^ang-fish is often used as bait. The white sea-bass average about forty or fifty pounds, small ones being more or less rare. Specimens weighing eighty pounds have Record ^^^^ caught with hand lines. The rod record is fifty-six pounds. In the San Francisco market, bass weighing sixty to eighty pounds are not uncommon, and doubtless the fish attains a maximum weight of one hundred or more pounds. In the Gulf of California a larger species of this genus is found; it is a stouter and bulkier fish; there is a record of one being caught weighing Bass ^^^ pounds. It is known as the Gulf bass and can be found in vast numbers on the shores of the East coast, even entering the mouth of the Colorado River. STRIPED BASS No one will question or dispute that the striped bass, or rock fish, is the finest representative of the whole great family of sea-basses. Handsome in form and color, its table qualities are excellent, and it is a bold and persistent fighter in whatever method caught. It is a prolific breeder, hardy, and easily transplanted for distribution. The natural range of the striped bass includes the entire Atlantic Coast, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the fish entering rivers and ascending them almost to their head- waters. 56 Popular Salt=Water Game Fish Individuals are known to have been taken every year in the Alabama River, Lower Mississippi, in the vicinity of Pensacola, Florida, tributk)n *^" ^" *^^^ great bays and sounds from North Carolina to Cape Cod. Large numbers are caught in Albemarle Sound, at Eden- ton, North Carolina, and near Norfolk, Virginia. In the Potomac River the fish ascends to the Great Falls. It is one of the most highly esteemed fish of the Delaware and Susquehanna rivers. The Jersey and New England coast are the centre of their abundance. Large numbers are caught by lines and by seines. The striped Distribution ^^^^ ascends the St. Lawrence as far as Quebec. It was introduced into California in 1879 and 1882, and has now become so abundant that the annual catch by fishermen is nearly as large as the yearly supply on the Atlantic Coast. Russian River, in Sonoma County, Cal., seems to be the Northern limit, while Monterey Bay is the Southern boundary, but in 1903 more were planted in the vicinity of San Diego Bay, and later ar- rangements were also made to send bass to Del Norte County, where the waters are considered suitable for the experiment. The most favorable haunts of the Pacific Coast are Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, San Francisco Bay, San Leandro Bay, and San Antonio Slough; the last is celebrated for its great numbers of big fish. "" The striped bass prefers cold waters. It is fre^ quently found at the mouths of small creeks and 57 Fish and Fishing in tide ways, where it lies in wait for the great schools of little fish upon which it feeds. The rock-bound shores of our Northern bays furnish hiding places for fish of the larger size. Some- times a school of big ones will be seen in the surf along sandy shores feeding upon small fish which may be present. Edenton and Weldon, HalTnts^ North Carohna, and Norfolk, Virginia, are noted fishing places. The Roanoke River, near Hamilton, yields many bass. The Little Falls of the Potomac is a favorite ground for fly fishing. The Passaic and Raritan rivers have furnished good sport; also the Great South Bay, Newport, Rhode Island, Block Island, West Island, No Man's Land, and Martha's Vine- yard. The striped bass is especially fond of rivers frequented by shad, because the eggs of that fish furnish one of its favorite foods, and the river herring which accompanies the shad also con- tributes greatly to the diet of the bass. The bass is carnivorous and predaceous, and consumes vast numbers of little fish in streams, particularly herring and shad. The shallow bays along the coast furnish it with killifish, anchovies, silversides, lant, and many other small fishes as well as worms, shrimps, crabs, squid, clams, scal- lops, mussels, and other marine inverte- brates. Its movements while feeding are greatly influenced by the tides. The uncer- tainty of the movements of this fish is proverbial; it is hard to find at certain times, and still more difficult to bring to the hook. It is shy and ex- 58 Popular Salt=Water Game Fish tremely wise on occasion, so that no angler can lay claim to continual success. When the bass does strike the hook, there is no mistake about its in- tention, for it hooks itself without assistance. Quick to seize the lure, it holds it firmly, full of resources in its struggle against capture, endowed with wonderful strength and endurance, quick to take advantage of natural obstructions ; the striped bass as a game fish may be classed with the salmon, for its intelligence and fighting quali- Game Fish ^^^^* ^^^ ^^^* plunge, when hooked, is more powerful than that of the salmon, and its endurance is greater. The most expert angler finds it utilizing every accessory which nature has furnished for its protection; sharp rocks are used to the best advantage to cut the line or break the hook. Casting through the surf is one of the most ex- hilarating, though precarious, methods of bass fishing; everything combines to circumvent the fisherman; the bass itself, the weight of the surf, the undertow, friction of the rocks, all test his skill to the utmost. As the season for striped-bass fishing is long, and continues far into cold and inclement weather, the angler must be supplied with warm clothing, including water- proof jacket, mitts, and boots, a soft cap, over- alls, and thumb stall for protection against fric- tion of the line. As the fish vary greatly in size, and styles of fish- ing differ widely, there is a variety of rods. A casting rod should be eight and one-half feet long 59 Fish and Fishing and weigh eighteen ounces, of spHt bamboo pre- ferred, but one of lancewood or greenheart will stand hard usage better. The chief quahties re- quired in a rod for sea fishing are toughness, spring, and elasticity. It should be silk wound and have guides and tips of agate or carnelian. For bait casting a light rod about nine feet will be suitable for fishing in shallow bays, near river mouths, or in streams within tide limits. For fly fishing a good black-bass rod will prove effi- cient For still fishing, where fish are small, one may have fine sport with a plain rod, combined with a float and sinker, with two hooks on gut leaders. There is just the same variation in reels. Surf fishing demands a reel holding 300 yards of 12 to 18 thread Cuttyhunk line, and must be a quadruple multiplier. It will cost from $10 to $15. In fly fishing the same tackle that is used for black bass will do for striped bass. The lines generally used for surf fishing are linen Cuttyhunk, from 9 to 18 thread, in length varying with the character of the fishing. For still fishing in summer, or bait fishing from shore, the line is usually of braided linen, smaller size, in lengths of fifty yards, with three-foot leader of single gut. In trolling for small fish up to ten pounds, about one hundred feet of braided linen, size E or F, or two hundred feet of size E for larger bass may be used. For small bass up to three pounds weight. No. 1 or 2 sprout hooks on gut snells will be found suit- 60 POPULAR SALT-WATER GAME FISH Popular Salt=Water Game Fish able; in trolling, sprout hooks No. 2/0 to 3/0 on gut snells, for small fish, and No. 5/0 to O/O for larger bass. The best hooks for surf fishing on the coast are knobbed sprout hooks No. 5/0 to 8/0. These are to be secured to the line by two half hitches with an additional half hitch to attach the loose end. The outfit is better with two twisted three-foot leaders; one at- tached to the line with a brass swivel, the second fastened in like manner to the first; and linked to the end of this, also by means of a swivel, a small spinner; to the end of the spinner a hook should be attached, usually a 4/0 or 5/0. The striped bass is such an omnivorous feeder that many different kinds of bait are required . durino^ the season, but the favorites are small Bait o ' eel, shrimp, crab, and worm. In California little fish called shiners and sardines and the clams of the region, form the bill of fare. They also troll with the Golcher, Stewart, or Wilson spoon. For the Eastern coast, especially in localities near New York, the shedder crab and lady crab are frequently employed. The sand worm and blood worm make tempting bait in trolling or still fishing. Two or three worms are threaded through the whole length of the body and must cover the hook entirely from point to snell. The skimmer clam is known as an excellent bait at Allenhurst, N. J., where a great bed of these clams attracts bass of large size. Small fish of many kinds, either alive or dead, are always attractive; 61 Pish and Fishing spearing, killifish, lant, smelt, mullet, eel, alewife, and menhaden, the latter being most famous for surf fishing. On certain rivers, eel-tail is used; another bait seldom heard of at present, but for- merly much used, is shad roe. Artificial lures for trolling include the bone, or block-tin squid, spoons, spinners, and their allies, attached to a single hook. Artificial flies are available for striped-bass fishing in fresh or brackish water only, and are best in the spring when the bass are as- cending fresh water. The best fishing is at sun- down. Showy flies are the favorites, red ibis, blue- jay, oriole, royal coachman, polka, silver doctor, Parmachenee Belle. Trt)lling the fly is best, with plenty of line, and working the line at the surface, ^ sinking it a foot or two, and then jerking it. Casting in the surf, with menhaden bait, is re- garded as the highest type of expert angling for striped bass on the Atlantic Coast. Most com- plete outfits are provided by the tackle tl^Surf*" dealers, according to the taste and means of the angler. Skilled anglers cast a distance of 120 yards, though the average is much less. In making the cast, the line is reeled up to two feet from the tip, one hand grasping the rod above the reel, the other below it; the thumb of the lower hand on the thumb stall controls the line so that it travels the same rate as the bait. The motion of casting is peculiar and requires long practice. The cast may be made with either hand, the body being turned to one side or the other as occasion requires. The one great essen- 62 Popular Salt=Water Game Fish tial is to deliver the bait at the surface of the water without a jerk, and the motion of the reel must stop as soon as the bait touches the water. As soon as the bait sinks to the bottom, the FVshinff ^^"^ ^^ reeled in slowly, and casting is continued till the fish is hooked. The first dash of the fish is the most critical stage of the fishing, and the bass may sometimes rush toward the angler faster than the slack can be taken up, calling for the best judgment and skill on the part of the angler. The preparation and ap- plication of the menhaden bait is very simple. The fish is first scaled, then a slice is cut from each side from head to tail, leaving little except the back bone, head, and fins, which are utilized later for "chum." The hook is inserted in the fleshy side of a strip, then returned through the edges of the scaly side in such a manner as entirely to conceal the shank; the bait must be tied on the hook, or it will be soon washed off by the action of the water. After two baits are cut from the sides, the remainder of the fish is chopped up and thrown into the water, the solid portions sinking at greater or less distance from the shore, while the oil covers the surface for a considerable space. In landing a large fish through the surf, great skill is required, for many tricks are played by the bass to evade capture. Other relatives of the striped bass are the white bass, yellow bass, and white perch; though much smaller and of lesser importance, they are still caught on tackle of a lighter build. 63 Fish and Fishing BLUE-FISH Fishing for blue-fish in a spanking breeze, with not too much sea on, is one of the most invig- Name and orating and stirring pastimes in the Distribu= whole range of angling sport. The *^" blase, lazy man, fond of a good meal, should try this sport to earn it. Full of life and thrills, a large blue-fish will convey that feeling through the line to the angler in a marked degree. This fish on the coast of New England and the Middle Atlantic States, is called the blue-fish; it is also known in Rhode Island as the horse mackerel, south of Cape Hatteras, as the skip jack, in Virginia and Maryland as the Green- fish." Young blue-fish are called snapping mackerel or snappers. In the Gulf of Mexico, the name of blue-fish is in general use. This fish is widely distributed in the Malay Archipelago, Australia, and at the Cape of Good Hope, at Natal, and about Madagascar, at Malta, along the coast of Syria and the Canaries. It has never been seen on the Atlantic Coast of Europe, or in the waters of Bermuda or Western Islands. On our coast it ranges from Central Brazil and the Guianas through the Gulf of Mexico and North to Nova Scotia. From Cape Florida to Penobscot Bay blue-fish are abundant at all seasons when the temperature of the water is propitious. It is possible that the presence of their favorite food, 64 Popular Salt=Water Game Fish the menhaden, has as much influence upon their movements as water temperature. The blue-fish sometimes make their way up the rivers to a considerable distance, the adults, how- ever, apparently never enterin*;' the perfectly fresh water. They are found in the Potomac as far North as Acquia Creek. The young of the year are taken as hi oh as Sin^: Sin^: on the Hudson, and in other tidal rivers where the water is entirely fresh. The blue-fish is carnivorous, feeding solely upon other fish; indeed, it may be rightly called H^bits^ a "veritable animated chopping ma- chine." There is no parallel in point of destructiveness to the blue-fish among the marine species on our coast the business of which is to cut to pieces and otherwise destroy as many fish as possible in a given space of time. Going in large schools in pursuit of fish, not much inferior in size to themselves, they move along like a pack of hungry wolves, destroying everything before them; their trail is marked by fragments of fish and by the stain of blood in the sea, because where the fish is too large to be swallowed entire, the hind- er portions will be bitten off and the anterior part allowed to float away or sink. It is even main- tained that such is the gluttony of the fish that, when the stomach becomes full, the contents are disgorged and it is again filled. The youngest fish, equally with the older, perform this function of destruction, and, though they occasionally de- vour crabs, worms, etc., the bulk of their food is derived from other fish. The rate of growth 65 Fish and Fishing- is evidence of the immense amount of food they must consume. A fish of five pounds in the . spring will have increased to fifteen pounds in the autumn. They have been known to attain a weight of twenty-five pounds, the average being from eight to twelve. A blue- fish weighing one pound measures about fourteen inches; two pounds, seventeen inches; three pounds twenty-one inches, and eight pounds, twenty- nine inches. Two methods are employed in angling for this fish; the favorite mode is by trolling or squidding, the other by heaving and hauling in the surf; both have plenty of excitement as well as consider- able hard work, especially with large fish. In trolling at the surface a squid of bone or metal is used, or live bait, menhaden, or any silvery fish, or an eel skin drawn inside out. It is necessary that the boat or launch should go at a lively gait, and the blue-fish will follow after to bite. The fish will not bite unless the bait is speeding along through the water. Trolling is now done mostly from a gasoline launch; the old style sailboat hardly suffices, and can be used only under certain con- ditions; and the difficulty of luffing at the right moment makes it not nearly so easy as the ready launch that is stopped and reversed almost im- mediately. From such a craft, from one to a dozen lines are let out at varying distances, though the fewer lines out the better and safer the chances are of landing fish. No one can deny the 6G Popular Salt=Water Game Fish fascination of the sport, the fresh wind, the rushing boat, with the silvery bait flashing from wave to wave sixty or more feet behind. Soon the smash- ing rush of the fish Hterally tears away Hne despite every effort to save it, and the angler lies down holding on for dear life, his arms wrenched and chafed by the gamy fish, full to the very end of vigor and irrepressible animation. and "HookT ^he tackle, therefore, must be very stout and able to resist such tugging. The lines should be 300 feet of strong Cuttyhunk, No. 15 to 18, with a sprout hook, 5/0, snelled with wire. If the fish are running large, a larger hook should be used. Heaving and hauling, as its name implies, is when the angler, standing on the beach or in the breakers, whirls his heavy gig about his head, and casts in far into the sea. No rod is used, the work being done by hand throw, the hands Heaving protected by stout woollen gloves. Hav- Hauling ing hooked the fish, he puts the line over his shoulder, walks up the beach, drag- ging his prize after him to the shore. This prac- tice is only possible on exposed sandy beaches, like the Jersey shore, Montauk, and other places. This method of fishing requires much practice. Three important things govern the use of this tackle, ^. e., the squid must be heaved far enough to straighten, maybe, one hundred yards of line, and the line must run out freely and smoothly; also the hand-over-hand recovery must start so soon as the squid has touched the water. The prowling 67 Fish and Fishing blues feed outside the surf, hence the squid should strike the water well beyond that point. The heavy squid plays the part of sinker, and the way it will carry out a line from a skilled hand is a wonder to behold. The amateur squidder fre- quently makes fast the home end of the line about his waist, neatly coiling the line up on the sand. Experts term this "lubberly," and hold the coils in one hand, a thing which no novice should at- tempt. For the heave, a right-handed S^Y ^^ expert holds the line in that hand, at a point which he prefers above the squid which is started slowly swinging around his head; when nicely going, the speed is increased till the whirling tackle fairly whistles; then at precisely the right instant the final heave is given, the squid hums seaward like an arrow, the line hisses after, and when everything is as it should be, the squid plunges into the water ahead of an almost straight line. To pull a fighting blue-fish through the surf is no easy matter, and for this vigorous sport the best costume is an old bathing suit; and, as the feet have to take a tight grip on the sand as well as shells, old yachting or tennis shoes will be preferable to the naked feet. In both trolling and squidding, the blue-fish generally hooks himself. In every instance the main thing is to keep a taut line, yet never to hold so fast that the fish can smash the tackle, which he will do in the fierce rushes if checked too hard. It makes a "smashing fight" from the minute it is 68 Popular Salt=Water Game Fish hooked, till its death, and it is impossible to tell which way it will run. If it runs in so fast as to get the line slack it will either shake the hook Traits"^ out of its jaws, or swim ahead of the wire leader and bite the line off with its keen teeth. It exhibits the courage, strength, and deviltry of a wild tiger, running deep, breaking water, rushing from side to side, always pulling and jerking with its entire energy. When blue- fish are not sighted "chumming" is resorted to to lure them; the oil from the cut-up menhaden floats upon the surface and so attracts them. For rod fishing from a stationary skiff, near where blue-fish are breaking, use a light trout rod for the smaller fish, and a heavy bass rod for the larger fish; on such tackle blue-fish are FUhing ^^^y gamy, frequently leaping from the water, making every effort to smash all in sight. The most reliable bait are lobster-tail, shedder crab, chopped moss-bunker, live killies, herring, and spearing. The young blue-fish or snapper, from six to ten inches long, is fished for by a host of anglers, be- cause it is good sport on a light rod, and when caught, excellent pan fish. The fishing is en- tirely on the surface; the best hook is the long- shanked Carlisle, size from No. 4 to 1, as some- times the angler will encounter a school of small snappers, and again get into a school of one or two-pound fish. Early in the morning is the best time for snappers; they are caught mostly in in- lets, bays, or behind bars. When one fish is 69 Fish and Fishing caught, it is certain others are near by. Every angler has his views as to the best baits; spear- ing is the favorite; live killies are excel- Hsliing^ lent, and cut-up snappers. Fish three feet below the surface and keep the bait moving about; if necessary use a small sinker. Snappers bite vigorously, and for that reason a fine gimp snell should be attached to the hook; the line should be fine, but of good strength, for small and young as this fish is, like its parent, it shows remarkable agility and holding power. BONITO AND ALBACORE The habits of the bonito are similar to those of the blue-fish, though it is, if possible, even more active and more the embodiment of perpetual and insatiable hunger. They come and leave the coast at the same time, they prey in company upon menhaden and mackerel, and together they are often caught. The two kinds of fish do not mingle, but the regiments rush to battle side by side. The bonito is known as the skip jack, Spanish mackerel, etc., and reaches a length of thirty inches and a weight of ten or twelve pounds. It inhabits the Atlantic Ocean, on both coasts, and is common in the Mediterranean. It oc- curs in the summer between Cape May and Cape Sable, off Cape Hatteras, off Block Island, Long Island, mouth of the Chesapeake, and so down to the Gulf. Schools of bonito cause more commotion in 70 Popular Salt=Water Game Fish the water than those of the blue-fish; they spring above the surface and are visible at a long distance; they are attended by the same schools of scream- ing gulls and terns, and leave in their track similar "slicks" of oil and blood. The bonito is caught on the surface of deep water in the open ocean by exactly similar bait and tackle to that used for the blue-fish; its play is much the same and its resistance quite as strong. Its flesh may be ranked among the many excellent food fishes of our coast, and is a worthy rival of the Spanish mackerel and the sheeps- head. On the Pacific Coast, the albacore is consid- ered an understudy of the tuna, which it much resembles, both in activity and agility, often seiz- ing the bait intended for tuna. It is one of the commonest fishes of the Pacific waters, found in nearly all tropical seas, but not caught on the Atlantic Coast, and rarely seen. It grows up to a weight of sixty-fiv^ pounds; the adult fish, while it is caught near the island shores, never approaches the mainland, being found from two to five miles out. Always present in vast num- bers, feeding and leaping from the water, it is a constant menace to the small fish. The rush of the school of albacores, as they charge the flying fishes, invariably arouses the angling community. The commercial catch is large and important in all the sea-shore towns from San Diego to Santa Cruz. As sport, all find it a paying employ- ment, and go from ^ve to seven miles out to sea, 71 Fish and Fishing from San Diego, Coronado, San Pedro, Long Beach, Redondo, Santa Barbara, and all along shore. The typical equipment is a rod of greenheart, noib-wood, or split bamboo, to weigh about twenty- six ounces, as the fish often sulks, and has to be "pumped." The rod should be in one piece, with a short butt, having extra large tips for albacore and tuna. The rod has double bell guides so that the line can be changed every day and the rod will not curve in any given direction. The reel should be lashed to the rod and be of me- dium size, to hold 300 feet of wet No. 15 Cutty- hunk line, though some anglers use tuna tackle, owing to the chances of hooking one at any time. A short phosphor-bronzed leader and an 8/0 O'Shaughnessy hook. Trolling at full speed, the albacore can be taken with a bone gig. With a slower gait, live bait, sardines or smelt are the common lure. The hook is inserted in the mouth, brought out at the gills, the point turned and thrust into the belly of the bait, near the vent. When pulled straight it is almost concealed. The mouth is closed with a wire, fastened to the shank of the hook, or thread may be used. Each leader or snell should have two or three swivels; no sinker is required. The launch is manned with a gaffer who acts as engineer, and has the same duties as in tuna fishing. The albacore is a fierce fighter for its size, more so even than the tuna. 72 Popular Salt=Water Game Fish CHANNEL BASS The channel bass is one of the largest food fishes of the Southern waters, reaching a length of five feet and a weight of seventy-five pounds. It inhabits the Atlantic Coast from New York to Texas, is abundant in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Gulf of Mexico, and is also taken at times on the New Jersey coast. It has many titles. At the mouth of the James River it is called the drum, at the mouth of the St. Mary's, Ga., the red bass, at Fort Marion, Florida, the Names^ spotted bass, on the Indian River the red horse, at Tampa the reef bass. New Or- leans the poisson rouge, San Antonio the pez Colo- rado. But the common name is red drum, or channel bass. It is caught on the bottom of the ocean and in the surf from July to late October. It is a splendid fighter especially if reasonable tackle is used, springing forward and down with long sweeps, shooting back and forth, cutting the water with splendid rushes. In fishing the surf the usual stiff casting rod is employed, and the method used is similar to that with the striped bass. In bays and mouths of rivers an eight-foot greenheart or bamboo rod weighing twenty-four ounces is used, the line a No. 12 Cuttyhunk, and hook about the size of a No. 7/0 Limerick, baited with mullet or crab; a sinker should be attached to the line with the usual swivels, as the channel bass is a bottom feeder, 73 Fish and Fishing and often caught weighing fifty pounds along the Florida coast. This locality is also famous for large sharks, strikes from this same being about two to one for channel bass. On the Jersey coast the bait used is clams, oys- ters, or menhaden, the latter preferred. The greater part of the fishing, however, is done with hand lines, the fisherman heaving a heavy sinker, with the menhaden bait tied securely to the hook, far out over the rollers, and the fish is hauled in through the waves. In south Barnegat Bay, at Harvey Cedars, some of the finest fishing can be had at times, especially in September, the catches ranging from fifteen to fifty pounds. As a game fish, the channel bass is similar to the striped bass. It lives upon crustaceans, mollusks, and sea worms, and has been seen to root up and tear the weeds in shallow waters in its search for food. This explains its presence along the line of surf in the shallow waters of the great sandy beaches of the coast, the home of numerous burrowing crustaceans. Another species, called the black sea drum is a bottom feeder, and is caught Drmn ^^ *^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ skimmer clams, and soft clams, baited on heavy tackle, similar to that used in surf casting for striped bass. It is caught on the New Jersey shore, particularly at Angle- sea, in the spring and summer; sometimes, though rarely, farther North. It is most abundant in the Gulf of Mexico and the Southern Atlantic coasts, and is caught weighing up to seventy-five pounds. 74 Popular Salt=Water Game Fish SHEEPSIIEAD This powerful fish is common, and ranges all along the coast from Cape Cod to Mexico; at Old Point Comfort, Va., the shecpshead appears in April or March and leaves in October. On the Florida reef, at Garden Key, it can be caught all the year round, but more frequently in summer. ^. . . All down the Florida coast, it is a Distribution . , ^ , ,, x t common wmter tisn; trie Indian River region down to Biscayne Bay, is a favorite locality. The oyster beds of the Chesapeake are a favorite locality for sheepshead, and there are nu- merous fishing grounds about New York Bay, well known to boatmen, at Staten Island, Fort Ham- ilton, on the New Jersey shore, Jamaica Bay, Fire Island, South Bay, and various other localities. The sheepshead reaches a length of thirty inches and a weight of twenty pounds, though the average is about ten. It is one of the most , valuable of our food fishes and some anglers prize it for its strength and game qualities. It is a slow-swimming fish, frequent- ing rocky shores in shallow water, piers, and old wrecks, the latter particularly being favorite resorts; and wherever a wreck can be located on the Atlanic Coast, good sheepshead fishing may be assured. Its head is large and its body deep, and it has a large powerful tail; the mouth is large, and provided with a curious array of teeth, those in front being conical or incisory for tearing or 75 Fish and Fishing biting. Back of these are others, in two or three rows, which are crushers or grinders. These are suggestive of the habits of the sheepshead, which is equipped by nature to hve upon shells and crustaceans, and wherever found, it feeds upon young oysters, barnacles, cockles, and crabs of various kinds. With the front teeth it wrenches shells from rocks or piers and passes them to the grinders where they are crushed. It is cauffht on all kinds of tackle, but the Tackle . most popular is the same as that used for the tautog, which it resembles in many ways. The rod is a short, medium casting rod for the ocean, with strong line, and large wooden reel; for in- side bays, an eight-ounce bait rod, linen line, stout single leader, multiplying reel, a swivel sinker attached to the line and a No. 2 sprout hook. The best baits are oysters, clams, and crabs. In baiting the hook with a small crab, it should be done so that the point of the hook passes through from the belly through the back, taking great care not to crush the body in hooking. If the hook is put through nearer the head, it will last much longer. The best time is during flood tide and the first and last of the ebb tide. When the fish takes the bait it should be struck sharply, but not too soon — not till a second or third tug is felt. The time to strike is when it has the bait well in toward the crushers. After striking, when the hook is secure, give the fish line, for the first few dashes are most severe on the tackle, especially w^ith a weighty fish. 76 CHAPTER III Popular Bottom Fresh=Water Fish PIKE PERCH The wall-eye pike, as .an angler's trophy, may be placed between the perch and the pickerel; for all-round fishing it hardly reaches the pickerel in gameness, though to some anglers it is superior. Personally, I would rather play a perch of similar size, than the wall-eye. It is essentially a bottom fish, and the bait it goes for best is minnows and lob worms, and occasionally it rises to a fly. Owing to its nocturnal habits, the best time to angle for it is from sunset to dark; in fact, it is fished for after dark by many people on moonlight nights, or by the aid of a brio;ht lantern. The Habits"^ wall-eye is known by many names, for it is abundant all over the Conti- nent, and is still being regularly distributed as a desirable fish, both for its game and eatable qual- ities. In various localities it is known as the glass-eye pike, blue pike, yellow pike, salmon, or jack salmon. In Canada, where it grows to a weight of twelve pounds, it is called the dore. In shape and coloration it is similar to the perch, 77 Fish and Fishing but has a larger mouth and very sharp teeth. Its eyes are also very large and glassy, being more prominent than most fish, well fitting it for seek- ing its prey by night. The wall-eye is found in all depths of water, but prefers to stay at the bot- tom, either of rock or of gravel, in clear as well as cold water. It loves to lie in deep pools, at the foot of ripples, or where the current is strong and deep, near small dams and under sunken logs, or shelving rocks and banks. It will only enter shallow water in lakes and streams in search of Found ^^^d> ^^ ^t spawning time. It feeds on every kind of small fish and does not spare its offspring. Insects, larvae, crawfish, and worms are devoured in great numbers, and even small frogs aad young snakes are preyed upon. Its usual weight is from two to four pounds, but it grows to fifteen pounds under favorable condi- tions. Its flesh is highly prized as a food fish, being white, firm, and flaky; which makes it a commercial fish of much importance, especially on Lake Erie, whence it is shipped in large numbers. There are three ways to fish for the wall-eye; on lakes it should be fished for in com- paratively deep water, over pebbly bottoms, with a live minnow or crawfish, particularly minnows with silver sides, such as dace, roach or red fin; in rapid currents, pieces of fish with the skin, bright and silvery, trimmed in a shape so that it will spin nicely. I have caught them on a spinner with a bright-colored bass fly at the end. But, 78 Popular Bottom Fresh=Water Fish certainly, the best sport is with the fly at evening on running streams. The most likely method is casting over deep and swift water at Capture *^^ ^^^^ ^^ rapids, when there is a brisk wind blowing. In such places they congregate in search of minnows that are ren- dered helpless by the churning waters. For lake fishing, the rod should be stout, with a strong silk or Cuttyhunk line; the hook snelled with gimp or piano wire, because, like the pickerel, their sharp teeth easily cut through the stoutest gut. Drop down a sinker to find the proper depth to adjust the float — three or four shot placed on the snell to keep the minnow down in deep water. More fish are caught on dull, cloudy, windy days and in the evenings. In minnow fishing, if the fish run to a good size, use No. 2/0 to 3/0 hooks. When a wall-eye takes the bait, it swims leisurely away, sometimes taking the float along without going under the water; let it go some distance, then raise the tip of the rod quickly, and it will be hooked. If it does stop after moving a short distance, then strike good and hard; after being hooked it will tug violently and keep up the game till reeled in. It never runs, but simply pulls and tugs till landed. The large, heavy fish often dive to the bottom after being reeled nearly in; there they stay, jiggering, and it requires careful work to move them. They will only rise to the fly at evening, and that not often, but much more readily in white, foaming water, below a dam or falls; 79 Fish and Fishing though this fish is most uncertain to locate, being much given to roaming about in search of food. In fishing rapids, let the fly wander at will, just as the current takes it; sometimes the fish darts for it at the surface, at other times when sunk three feet by the force of the water. One fly is sufficient at the end of a six-foot leader, similar to that used for bass; the fly being about the size of a small bass, or large trout fly. In color use dark flies for mornings, dark gray hackle, Fishine black hackle, gray drake. For even- ing, use a white miller, silver doctor, or coachman. As soon as the fly is taken, keep a firm hold on the rod. The wall-eye is every bit as strong as the bass, and while it lasts, in swift water, a ten-pound fish is no mean work for a tyro to tackle. Dr. Brown Goode states, "There is no better pike-perch fishing in the world than that which may be had in the vicinity of Lake City, Minnesota, in Lake Pepin, and the adjacent waters.'* The wall-eye is quite common in most of the rivers and lakes of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and it seems to thrive well wherever it is placed. DACE AND CHUB This bright, silvery little fish is very abundant, and delights in rapid, rocky portions of large streams and in the deeper channels of the clear running brooks. It is one of the largest of the min- 80 Popular Bottom Fresh=Water Fish now family, reaching a length of eighteen inches, and about two pounds in weight. It is extremely common in the Delaware River and its tributaries, and is moderately abundant in the Susquehanna. Both in shape and movement it is not unlike the brook trout, with which it lives in amiable relations, although it will live in water of a much higher temperature than the trout; still, it prefers cold and rapid streams. Like other common and familiar fishes, it is called by many names in different localities, some of which are: silver chub, cousin trout, roach, the corporal, and many others. When half grown it is netted and used extensively as bait, being hardy, bright, and silvery in color. Trout anglers have no liking for it, because it constantly rises and takes the fly intended for more desirable fish. In smaller rivers, like the Beaverkill, it is so numerous that twenty dace will rise to one trout, but they often rise short, getting just pricked on the lips, so that they are very often whipped off in recasting the fly. I have caught them on every possible bait; they will take a small artificial or live mouse, a silver min- now, helgramite, or small frog; but for all-round fishing they give more play on the artificial fly, or live worm. In running water, the regular trout tackle is best suited to dace the ^Iv^" fishing, a light nine-foot rod, oil-silk line, with a six-foot leader and small, easy-running, click reel. For worm fishing, the hook should be No. 9 to 11; no leader, smkers, 81 Fish and Fishing or float are necessary, as dace are always looking to the surface for passing food. The fish, on see- ing it, darts quickly above from below, and takes it with surprising quickness. The mouth of the dace is not large like that of perch, eel, or catfish, so that at times it misses taking the hook, but often manages to take the worm. On being hooked, it fights desperately for a time, running back and forth in rapid succession; sometimes, though rarely, it will rise above the surface. When a fish is hooked that measures over twelve inches in length, it should be gently led to the shore; and played over the pebbles, or sand, from out of the water; if a net is not handy, do not attempt to lift a large dace bodily from the water; a small hand net is indispensable; small fish can be lifted to be unhooked, and basketed. They are so plentiful, and bite so vigorously, that the basket is easily filled, and in place of trout they make, so far as game is concerned, a very fair substi- tute. They take bait at all times and seasons, and are equally voracious with the artificial fly, so long as it is small in size; all flies are alike to them, though the black gnat is taken most often. It matters not where the cast is made, in the centre of the stream or at the sides, they dart for it. I had quite a large one playing some OifalitSs ti"^^' ^^^ w^s quite sure it was a trout, till it gave a leap from the water nearly two feet high. Much to my surprise I found it to be an unusually gamy dace. This was in very rapid deep water. In pond or lake fishing 82 Popular Bottom Fresh=Water Fish for dace, with worms, exactly the same method and tackle should be used as in fishing for sun- fish, but in quiet water their actions are not nearly so gamy in resisting capture, nor do they grow so large, if the same water contains the ravenous pike or bass. Another species, called the red fin or golden shiner, is often caught on the fly and on the worm. The chub is a very leathery-mouthed and hardy fish. It is coarser and more bony, but very much handsomer in form and color. Much stouter tackle is required when angling for chub than for the dace. The chub, in some waters, grows to the weight of five or six pounds. On bright days, a fly is the best method of catching this fish, and good sport may be had from an anchored boat by throwing the fly just under the bushes which overhang the banks of the stream, ", as it is characteristic of this fish to lie under trees and bushes, waiting for in- sects which drop from them. A good method of angling for chub is to hook a live grasshopper through the shoulders and draw the bait along the surface, and then gradually get under the water. Chub are extremely shy, and the angler should keep out of sight as much as possible. Chub will take minnows and worms. For such bait, fish either with a float or without a float; sinkers should be attached to place the bait on the bottom; then move it slowly along. When a chub is hooked, give it plenty of line, for it shoots violently away in a few seconds, but 83 Fish and Fishing soon gives up the fight. The chub is not held in any great esteem as food for the table, its flesh being very coarse and hard. CARP The carp is a native of Asia, and was intro- duced into America in 1831; its acclimation has been wonderfully successful, especially in the South, where it continues to ejrow Introduced t^i'oughout the year, and sometimes attains a remarkable size. It is a favorite of thousands of modest fresh-water anglers whose pleasure lies in quiet, peaceful delight, in the midst of restful scenery of the woods and meadows. The carp is a handsome fish, with scales large in size and of a golden bronze color. There are numerous species of this family. The . mirrow, or king carp, is named on ac- count of the few and extraordinarily large scales, which run along the body in three or four rows, the rest of the body being bare. The leather carp has on its back either only a few scales or none at all, and possesses a thick, soft skin which feels velvety to the touch. Then there is a golden carp, popular in small ponds and household aquariums. The common carp has become very abundant in certain lakes and rivers; those found in the latter are much the best for the angler and are of better flavor. It prefers a muddy bottom, feeding principally on vegetable food, the seeds of water-lilies, wild 84 POPULAR BOTTOM FRESH-WATER FISH Popular Bottom Fresh=Watcr Fish rice, and water oats. In captivity it will eat let- tuce, cabbage, soaked barley, wheat, rice, corn, insects and their larv?e, worms, and meats of various kinds. They can readily be caught with dough, grains of wheat, worms, mag- gots, and sometimes pieces of meat or fish. The carp is very tenacious of life, more so than any other fresh-water fish, with the exception of the catfish and eel. To insure the best sport when angling for carp requires great preparation and care. The line should be entirely of medium- sized round gut, clouded gut preferred, and a very light porcupine quill float, with one good- sized shot, placed about six inches from the hook, which should be a No. 5 or 6. Bait it with a red worm, which should rest exactly on the bot- tom. The night before fishing a quantity of ground bait, composed of bread, kneaded into little balls, should be thrown in the place. Early in the morning, or late in the evening, Fishinff ^ ^^ much the best time for carp fishing, and the all-important thing is to keep out of sight, as the carp is very shy and will not touch the bait if it sees the angler. A forked stick can be put in the bank for the rod to rest on while the angler moves back out of sight, where he can lie down and so watch the float. Do not strike for some time after the float goes under; wait till it moves away, then strike hard, as the carp has a tough mouth and there is little chance of losing it. Carp fishing is a difficult and uncertain oper- ation, especially if the fish are large; they are 85 Fish and Fishing very shy and wary and patient; staying around for some time before they touch the bait. Young carp, of two pounds or less, take the bait easier, and sometimes large ones will not be taken at all; some anglers, while fishing, throw worms into the water to get them near the bait; there is no fear of overfeeding as their appetite is unlim- ited. The carp is now rapidly coming into de- mand as a market fish; from the Illinois River alone, over six million pounds are taken annu- ally. New York City consumes over seven million pounds yearly. Big fish are taken in large numbers from the lakes Erie, Chautauqua and Ontario, and from these waters are fairly good eating; but if taken from small stagnant ponds, they are both tough and of a very peculiar muddy taste. When hooked they pull pretty hard, but make no fight. Their excessive shyness makes angling for them much more inter- esting sport than it would otherwise be. SUNFISH The little sunfish is one of hardiest and prettiest species of the fresh- water fish. North and South, wherever clear water is to be found, this little favorite is ready at all times to gratify the eager young angler. In the South it is known as the bream or brim; in other localities as the sunfish, pond fish, tobacco box or pumpkin seed, which it is supposed to resemble. The sunfish grows to a length of eight inches and a weight of half a 86 Popular Bottom Fresh=Water Fish pound. In coloration it rivals the gayly tinted fishes of the coral reefs in tropical seas. It is well armed with a fierce array of spines, Names^ and shows a temper, especially after nest building, unusual in small-sized fishes; consequently they thrive and multiply al- most beyond belief in ponds and streams too small for bass, and too warm for trout. It pre- fers clear and still water, living in and about weeds and grasses. Sunfish are gamy and eager biters, and earthworms are their delight; they will rise readily to a very small artificial fly, with a vim and dash much in the manner of the black bass, their bold and larger cousins. Like the perch, any old tackle will catch them at times, but if proper angling oufit is used, larger fish, and more gamy fish are caught. A regular eight-foot bamboo rod should be used, not too pliable or too stiff; such a rod covers the wants of all fresh-water bottom-living fish, but the "sunny " needs finer tackle than the perch. The size of hooks should be from 8 to 10, and the float should be small, for the fish takes the bait with such a snap, running away at a. clipping pace, keeping the float on the move all the time. Adjust the float so that the bait hangs a foot from the bottom. Place two or three No. 8 split shots about six inches apart from the snell, to sink the bait. Have the worms small and of a pinkish color, putting only one worm on the hook, and be very careful to loop it over the shank, leaving a small end to wig- 87 Fish and Fishing gle in the water. In fishing for sunnies, there is httle advantage in moving from place to place — if the fish stop biting, throw a few worms in the water to attract them to the bait, as sunfish shoal together in large numbers; throw the bait in gently without much splash. The outfit for fly fishing is similar to that of brook trout, but two flies are sufiicient on a three- foot leader; use the smallest of flies. They should be cast on the surface of the water, as the fish dart up from below to seize them. The best flies are black gnat, gray or brown palmer, and the coachman, but any flies will do, if they are of the smallest possible size. As Capture *^^ sunfish has a particularly hard and bony mouth, it may not be hooked firm, often being held by a thin skin; so that it will be safer if a small hand net be provided. In fish- ing a stream, cast the fly down a runway, and let it go into quiet water, for sunfish choose to lie in still places; wherever the force of the water takes the fly it will turn off and circle around the sun- ny 's hiding place. In such runways, a worm is just as effective, indeed more so, because nature is imitated exactly. Another good fishing ground is near the shores of large lakes ; throw the line in between the weeds in open places — the float will keep the line from getting entangled. The best time for fishing is from sunset to dark. A nice string of a dozen sunfish, weighing a half pound each, makes a very agreeable and palatable dish, if fried in hot 88 Popular Bottom Fresh=Watcr Fish fat, sharp and crisp. They arc better eating than perch, but not so sweet or flaky as the bass. PERCH Yellow perch, also known as ring perch, striped perch, and raccoon perch, are among the most strikingly marked and best known Lo^Uty"'* fresh-water fishes. They are found from Nova Scotia to North Carolina in coastwise waters, and are very abundant in large ponds, lakes, and many of the streams. They are ready biters, strong and voracious feeders, and can be caught on any bait: minnows, worms, crickets, grasshoppers, small frogs, craw- fish, and small spoons. They will rise to an arti- ficial fly, and will ravenously take one of the brightly colored fins of their own species, if placed on a hook and skittered quickly over the surface. Perch frequent quiet waters of moderate depth, pools under hollow rocks, eddies and shady reaches in the meadow brooks, creeks, and canals, preferring the sides of the streams to the swift currents, and sandy and pebbly rather than muddy bottoms. In mill ponds they are likely to be found in deep waters just above the dam. They sometimes descend into brackish water, where they become large and very firm-fleshed. In muddy pools they often assume a golden color, but are soft of flesh and not well flavored. They love to be among long weeds, grasses, and lily- pads in large lakes, and seem to thrive in neigh- 89 Fish and Fishing borly friendship with the bass, pike, and pickerel. Their strong array of sharp spines probably pro- tects them from those savage and predaceous fishes. They are gregarious, and always in schools, each school about a uniform size, whether large or small. When the young angler meets a school of large perch, he may capture every one if he be noiseless and wary. The usual length of the yellow perch is less than ten inches, and its average weight less than a pound, though specimens have been caught up to four pounds. The simplest way to catch perch is with the boy's standard outfit: a pole, stout line, large float, and heavy sinker, with a Caoture* worm or minnow for bait. This, how- ever, is only effective when the water is muddy and the perch numerous and hungry. For wary, large fish, in clear water, more delicate tackle is necessary. The line should be fine, of enamelled silk, a fly rod of six ounces, a light click reel, and a small three-foot leader, with two flies on No. 7 hooks. The yellow perch is just as good fishing as speckled trout, size for size, eager to rise, bold to a degree, and it fights to a finish. For worm or minnow fishing, the float should be small and well balanced, shot for sink- ers, only heavy enough to keep the float steady. Suspend the bait a foot from the bottom, moving it up and down in a gentle manner. No. 5 or 6 hooks on snells, with a small swivel to con- nect the line, may be used. Always have live worms either placed to touch the bottom, or two 90 Popular Bottom Fresh=Water Fish feet from bottom in running water, so that they drift back and forth. This method ap{)Hes to grasshoppers and crickets, with No. 5 to No. 3 hooks. Grasshoppers should be hooked through the shoulders; both they and crickets will live for some time if hooked in that way. Hook small minnows through the lips, the point coming out on tip of nose. When the fish strikes, take plenty of time, so that it can gorge the bait; only strike after it has moved away. It should be struck with a sharp move of the wrist, not a savage pull or long jerk. A perch makes two or three runs up to the surface and down ; give it a chance, and let it play. Trolling or casting with small single-hook spoon or live minnow without spoon, will invariably capture large perch in lakes and ponds. The boat should be rowed along the side of weed beds, exactly in the manner of fishing for pickerel. In fishing for perch the angler cannot be too care- ful in unhooking these spike-armed PI* ^ heroes. In fly fishing for perch the best time is when the water is gently rippled, or from sundown to dark; and in casting, it is well to let the fly sink about a foot and jerk it sharply through the water. Any trout or bass fly tied on No. 5 to No. 3 hook is effective. I have caught perch on brown palmer, coachman, and silver doctor. In the fall perch become more wary, especially the large ones. When perch are caught in stag- nant pools and muddy lakes, before cooking them 91 Fish and Fishing it is best to take the skin off; by so doing, the muddy taste is avoided. When caught in running water or cool spring-fed lakes, it is only necessary to take off the scales; for game or edible pur- poses, choose, when possible, a running stream to fish in. EELS The common eel is another bottom fish that is caught extensively by hand lines, at evening and night time, because it is nocturnal in its habits, sleeping or lying in the mud Fish*^ during the day. It is a most voracious feeder, devouring great quantities of the fry of other fishes. Nothing in the shape of living things comes amiss to an eel; everything that lives in the water it will prey upon. They are very powerful and rapid swimmers, and on light tackle give good sport. Eels have been known to grow to a length of four feet, but the average is two feet. They breed in salt water; both the adults and the young ascend the streams from the sea a distance of 500 miles. They are often found in the long grass of shallow, running streams. In such conditions they are more diffi- cult to catch, and more agreeable to eat. The best way to angle for eels is to drop the Capture ^^^^ ^^ some sandy or muddy bottom, always near long grass or weeds. Use a strong, light rod, without reel, and have the line tied at the tip; or if the angler wishes to play it with the reel in the usual way, considerable 92 Popular Bottom Fresh=Water Fish sport may be had, because the fish wiggles in all kinds of holes, and no amount of tugging will loosen him; for that reason both line and gut leader should be stout and strong. A float may be attached to the line to keep the bait out of and between weed patches. Use No. 7 or 8 hooks, baited with a small red worm, which . should be allowed to drag and lie at the bottom. Worms, if alive, are more at- tractive to eels than anything else, both in pond and river fishing. The eel requires considerable indulgence when it takes the bait; as soon as it is pulled out of the water, stamp the foot across its body, holding the line tight with one hand and with the other cutting through its gills with a sharp knife, taking care not to cut the gut snell which is always some distance down its throat. This is the most humane and quickest method to prevent the slippery rascal from tying the line full of knots, and very often breaking the line and so getting away. Good eel fishing is best near dams and mill wheels. To one sitting on the bank at evening, properly prepared with bait and tackle, and a small lantern, this fish provides quite a diversion. Eel fishing in salt water is also very popular when it is done from a boat, Eels"^ '^ which should be anchored near the edge of channels on soft and sandy, or muddy bottoms. Use a simple, stout hand line with a strong leader and heavy sinker, to keep the bait on the bottom. Eels will not rise from the bottom for their food, so it is necessary to 93 Fish and Fishing ^ attach the hooks quite close to the sinker and two or three hooks may be used, preferably No. 8 to 10 sprout. By far the best bait in salt water is the shedder crab, but sand worms, killies, clams, or even pieces of fish will take them. Many anglers use a long-shanked hook, which is more convenient to hold the fish from wiggling, and makes it easier to take the fish from the hook. When the fish bites, strike hard, and if hooked, lose no time in bringing it up over the side of the boat. After it is boated, get a good tight grip on the body, with the help of the fine; then slap the tail smartly on the edge of the boat, stunning the fish. Then take out the hook. Another species of eel is called the conger-eel; it sometimes grows to a weight of thirty pounds. It is a savage brute, with long jaws lined with pfsh sharp teeth, and it snaps viciously at everything in sight. The best way to kill it is to rap it sharply on the head with a stout stick or piece of iron. The eels are all very palatable eating, especially those caught in clear, running water; the flavor is sweet, and the flesh nutritious. If well cooked, either boiled, fried, or stewed, or even pickled and salted, they make a savory dish. THE CATFISH OR BULL-HEAD The right name of this popular and well-known fish is the horned pout, and it is of a wide distribu- 94 Popular Bottom Fresh=Water Fish lion, being found in ponds, lakes, and streams all over the United States and Canada. It multi- plies so rapidly in any kind of water that it soon clears out all edible matter which would be useful food for better fish. This species reaches a maxi- mum length of eighteen inches and a weight of four ])ounds, but the average size of market speci- mens is much smaller. There are and Ipcc^s ^^^^y species of this family, each re- joicing in a number of names, the largest kind being the lake catfish, which is some- times caught in the Mississippi River weighing over one hundred pounds. In Lake Erie, specimens have been taken up to fifty pounds. The United States Bureau of Fisheries propagates and distrib- utes the most valuable members of the family, the channel catfish, spotted cat, yellow cat, black cat, marbled cat, blue cat, black bull-head, and the pout. They are all dull, slow-moving fish, but when hooked are surprisingly lively. The catfish are a hardy race, and are very tenacious of life, opening and shutting their mouths half an hour after their heads have been severed, and so prolific that, in some places, the water seems a living mass of fish. When the mature fish grow to a large size they feed on the young of their own species if their food is scarce. Many instances are recorded where a small fish having been hooked, a larger fish has taken it and swallowed it, and so got caught. The catfish retains its freshness much longer than any other fish, and it has compara- 95 Fish and Fishing tively few bones. Some writers consider it the most unattractive fish of our fresh waters, and to catch it represents the lowest depths of depravity in fishing with hook and fine. The catfish is a ready and voracious feeder, any kind of bait being greedily swallowed, and a large fish, when it feels the hook, goes for some distance at astonishing speed, pulling and tugging with bull-like strength. In angling for them, the worm is the most convenient bait. They will take minnows, grasshoppers, small frogs, a piece of salt mackerel or salt pork, as well as pieces of fresh fish cut from the under part of chub, perch, or sunfish; as the catfish always gorges the bait, the hook is easier to extract if it is a good size. No. 5 or 6 Limerick hooks will do. Use a light ten-foot rod of native cane, with a line of twisted silk tied to the tip of the same length as the rod. No reel is required. A three-foot leader, like the one used for perch, makes the line stand up in the water, and a float is also an advantage; it keeps the line from floating toward the angler, and is easier to cast among the weeds. Two hooks can be tied, one touching the bottom, baited with dead fish or pork; the other, six inches above, on which is placed a worm; they soon go for the bait, if the fish are plentiful, and the float goes under surface. The fish is sure Cai^ure *^ ^^ ^^^^' ^^^ there is no need to hurry; when it is pulled ashore or in the boat, take care how it is handled, as the horns on its fins make nasty wounds. The hook will be far down 96 Popular Bottom Fresh=Water Fish the throat; the best way to extract it is to sHt open the stomach to the gills. Never lift the fish bodily from the water, for the reason, as often hapj^ens, that bass and trout may have taken the bait, and by that means get lost. There is no special time to fish, any time will do, though the hot months of July and August are best. To properly skin them, the head should be cut from below, leaving the skin attached to the shoulders. By placing a small pinch of salt on the fingers, a tighter grip on the skin will enable you easily to pull it from the body. The fish can then be cleaned and afterward placed in salt water — extra salt if the fish is taken from stagnant water; after being in salt water a few hours, they can be sharply and quickly fried in hot fat. If cooked without being skinned they are quite disagreeable in taste. 97 CHAPTER IV Popular Bottom Sea Fish SEA-BASS This fish has an enormous appetite, and k well known to be a most determined and persist- ent biter. Its range is from north of Hablti"*"^ Cape Cod to the sandy coast of Texas. Round about New York, Long Island, and New Jersey it is plentiful and common. During the breeding season the male develops a large hump on its shoulders, which takes away the fine shapely appearance which distinguishes the female. It has a large powerful mouth, and will take a generous bait of almost anything that is eatable. It spends its time nosing about loose stones, in cavities of rocks that have sea- weed growing upon them, where they get vari- ous crabs, fishes, and other creatures, in water from twenty to fifty feet deep. They are a bot- tom-feeding fish and rarely come to the surface. The best time to catch them is during their feed- ing time, which is during the lull of the waters between the turn of the tides. The largest fish are caught on the fishing banks, where steamers, 98 Popular Bottom Sea Fish during the greater part of the year, make daily trips — to the Cholera Banks, off Sandy Hook and Long Branch, where they are caught Found weighing from four to eight pounds. Those caught in the bays, estuaries and back waters are much smaller, weighing half a pound to two pounds. The best place to angle for them is in deep channels, holes under sedgy banks, and over wrecks, or on bottoms where the black mussel is found. They will take bait from Decoration Day to October, but the larger-sized fish are taken in inside waters from September to October. Like the fresh-water bass, it will sometimes break water, but not until drawn near the boat, when suddenly it makes a vicious leap, shaking its solid body in all sorts of ^^Tiggling and muscular contortions; from the moment the hook gets in its leathery jaws, it makes a steady fight and dies hard, considering its size. Almost any bait is suitable, skimmer clams, mossbunkers, shedder crabs, live killies, pieces of clam, sand worms, shrimps, and cut menhaden; all of these, it will take with avidity, for the sea-bass is always on the feed. The tackle used should be a good, stout rod, multiplying reel, and a strong line of generous length. Leaders are only necessary when fishing for the big, yellow autumn bass, which are very shy and wary. Late in the season, use a No. 2 sprout hook or Carlisle. A heavy sinker is required, to hold firmly on the bottom, and the hooks should be tied quite close to the 99 POPULAR BOTTOIV. Fish and Fishing sinker. Some use only one hook, others use two, each having on a different bait. In baiting with shrimps, place two or three together on the same hook, for this fish is one of the few that go for the largest bait and, as his mouth is so ample, he is sure to be well hooked with a big bait. At the turn of the tide the angler is sure to be busy for the short time it lasts. The feeding ground ex- tends along the coast from Delaware to Maine, wherever the sea- weed grows from beds of mussels. It is eminently a coast fish, seldom venturing far above the bays and back waters; as a food fish, the meat of the sea-bass is excellent; as a game fish it may be placed next in rank to its cousin the striped bass. The sea-bass is known in various places as the blackfish, black Will, black Harvey hannahills, blue-fish, rock bass, black bass, and by many other titles. TAUTOG OR BLACKFISH The tautog is one of the species of parrot fishes, stockily built, with hard scales, and harder mouth; it is slippery as an eel, and salt-water anglers like to fish for it because of its strength and hard fight- ing. Although not a large fish, only averaging two to three pounds, individuals weighing ten and even fourteen pounds are by no means un- usual. The largest tautog on record was obtained near New York and weighed nearly twenty-three pounds. It is found in greater and lesser abun- dance from St. Johns to Charleston, S. C, and is 100 POPULAR BOTTOM SEA FISH Popular Bottom Sea Fish known in various places as hlackfish, tautog, chub, moll. Will gorge, and oyster fish. East of New York it is usually called tautog, Names^ a name given to it by the Narragansett Indians. As may be inferred from its haunts and the character of its strong, sharp teeth, the tautog's food consists of hard-shelled mollusks, squids, scallops, barnacles, and sand dollars; many of the mollusks they swallow, shells and all, ejecting the hard parts after the flesh has been digested. Angling from the rocks for the tautog is a favorite pursuit all along Caueift *^^ coast, particularly about New York, where there are precipitous shores, on which the fishermen stand. On Long Island Sound and other protected waters they are usually fished for from boats anchored among the reefs, or near wrecked vessels, and shell-covered piles and wharfs; rocky bottoms are very good places. At some places they bite best on the flood tide; in others they are voracious during the ebb tide. Some anglers bait for them by throwing overboard broken clams or crabs to induce them to re- new their visit. In April and May we have the best angling; though they frequent local waters all through the summer, not many are caught in the hot months until fishing begins again in October and November. The best bait pfshinz '^^ ^^^ spring is the clam, preferably soft- shell clam, for at this time, many anglers say, the tautog has a tender mouth. In the fall, both lobsters and crabs, as well as fiddler and 101 Fish and Fishing rock crabs, are the favorite bait; sometimes they will take shrimp and sand worms. Large numbers of tautog are caught by the anglers who go out daily on the fishing steamers in the open sea. All, or nearly all, use the regu- lation salt-water tackle : a short, stout and heavy rod, strong line, and large wooden reel. Such tackle is necessary for outside fishing, and the hook should be very strong but not large in size. For inside fishing lighter tackle will do — the hooks the same. In baiting the hook with a small crab it should be done in the same manner Baiti^ng ^^ ^^^ sheepshead, viz., the point passed through the belly to the back near the head. A shrimp should be hooked by placing the point near the tail, underneath, afterward drawing the shrimp over; by such a method it will live longer. The sinker should be a heavy one, and the two hooks should be tied about six inches apart, as near the sinker as possible. No leader is required, but the gut snells must be very strong to withstand the sharp teeth when the fish is tug- ging at the bottom. When fishing inside waters, arrange so that the boat can be anchored near the edge of the tide, close to a rapid current, where the reefs or rocks are about twenty or thirty feet deep. The tautog is supplied with a pair of strong crushers, situated in the back part of its mouth, and consisting of two flat groups of ball-shaped teeth between which they crush small shell-fish before swallowing. When it takes the bait it 102 Popular Bottom Sea Fish passes it on to the crushers, when a pecuhar suc- cession of bites is felt by the angler, who loses many a fine fish by being too hasty to " T^k^n* hook it. After the first indication is felt of a fish taking the bait, it should be struck sharply. The tautog bites like a sheeps- head, but with less power. It is an adept at get- ting hooks or sinkers fast in the clefts, for as soon as it bites and feels the barb it darts under or be- tween rocks, leaving the angler thankful if the fish liberates the hook or sinker at the price of freedom. THE KINGFISH The kingfish is perhaps the gamest for its size of bottom feeders that inhabit salt water. All anglers have the the best opinion of it, and with one accord, after it is landed exclaim, "What a dandy!" Its gamy qualities, its beauty of color and form, as well as its excellent flavor, caused the loyal citizens of New York in Colonial days to call this species the kingfish. In former times when they were much more abun- dant in New York Bay, the kingfish and small striped bass were the crowning glory of old-time anglers. The kingfish is also known as the hake on the coast of New Jersey and Delaware, as the tomcod on the coast of Connecticut, the barb, and black mullet in the Chesapeake, the sea mink in North Carolina, and sometimes also in the South as the whiting. 103 Fish and Fishing It appears quite early in the spring with the weakfish, and is found a good deal in company with it; like that fish it seems to prefer a Caueht ^^S^^^ mixture of fresh water, as is shown by its keeping in the mouth of rivers and running farther up during the dry season. It takes the bait quite readily, though it is not caught in anything like the same number in a given time as the weakfish, thirty or forty at a single tide being considered a splendid catch for one boat. They bite readily at hard or soft clams or small pieces of fish and are taken most successfully on the early flood tide. They may be captured on or near oyster beds, especially when the oysters are being taken up. Its mouth though small is hard and leathery, and when once hooked it is sure to be fast; however much it fights it rarely gets off. In taking the bait they have a variety of ways in going for it, sometimes with just a nibble that is hardly felt; at others they rush at it with the greatest fury, racing off with long runs from right to left, sometimes going at a clipping pace right around the boat; in this way the gamy fighter keeps it up till safely landed, when the . angler will be surprised at the deter- mined resistance a fish of but two pounds can and does make. Though I have never seen it, it is said at times to break water if the line is held taut, playing exactly like the small-mouth bass, with rushes to the bottom, and pulling and tugging in angry jerks. The proper tackle for so bold a fish is a light pliant 104 Popular Bottom Sea Fish rod and multiplying reol, a strong line of linen, measuring at least fifty yards, a swivel sinker with a three-foot leader. There should be two hooks, sprout or Aberdeen preferred, size No. 1 to 3. The best bait is shedder crabs or sand worms; also shrimps, blood worms, and clams are ef- fective. In August, the kingfish can be Baits caught along the south side of Long Island, off the Jersey coast, at Atlantic City, Long Branch, and Barnegat Inlet. Farther South they are yet more numerous. In size, this fish varies from one to six pounds; the average being two. In surf fishing, the best time is the first of the flood tide; in this situation, with plenty of room, the kingfish is seen at its best, swiftly swimming long distances near the bottom; after a very long run, it stops to jigger and shake, finally breaking w^ater fifty to one hundred yards from the rod, if sufficient line is given it; and one will wonder after landing a fish which has taken half an hour to kill, that it weighs scarcely three pounds. The angler is sure of one point in his favor, for certainly no bottom-loving fish plays such a game for the angler's real delight. The cook, as well as the epicure, will be fully assured of another, that no fish that swims the sea makes a better dish. PLAICE No seafish is so popular or so well knovm as this; it is called by a variety of names, which are 105 Fish and Fishing often confounded with other species. In some locaHties it is called plaice, summer flounder or turbot flounder; whereas the flounder is known as the flatfish, winter flounder, mud-dab and nigger fish. The two can be easily distinguished by the plaice having a large mouth, and the flounder a very small one. Next to the halibut, the plaice is the most important and valuable flatfish on the Eastern coast. It averages in size from two to eight pounds, though specimens have been caught up to twenty-five pounds. It corresponds with two highly prized, but somewhat rare fish caught on the English coast, known as the turbot and the brill. Like others of their species, the plaice habitually lie upon the bottom, where their pe- culiar shape and color protect them from obser- vation, and also give them an excellent opportunity to capture their prey. They are found mostly in bays, where the bottom is muddy and grassy, and in shoal water, along sandy reaches of the coast and bays. Plaice may be taken from the early part of June till October. In Florida they are taken throughout the year, most pentifully in the summer months. They feed on small fish, shrimps, crabs, squid, and are frequently seen at the surface of the water, rapidly swimming and even jumping above the surface in pursuit of sand eels and sand smelts. Favorite fishing grounds are on sandy bottoms at a depth of eight or ten fathoms, or in channels near the sides, and they can be taken either from a boat at anchor, or one that drifts slowly along 106 Popular Bottom Sea Fish with the tide. The method is to fish with one hook six inches from the bottom, and another hook two feet above it, tied on a strong three- foot leader; use a sinker just heavy enough to hold to the bottom, with live killies for bait, though herring, s}:)earing, and mossbunker will do; if no live bait is available .small strips of snapper, or porgy, cut in the shape of a fish will often be a taking bait. Hook the killie by in- serting the point into the back, near the dorsal fin ; then pass it along under the skin toward the tail as far as the bend of the hook will permit; then, again push it through the skin to clear the barb. Drifting is the method for fluke. When the bait rig is out, and is being trailed along, its dis- tance from the boat should be at least six times that of the depth of the water where fishing. When still fishing the killie can swim about as if entirely free. The most success- ful rig for local waters is a leader four feet long, fastened a few inches above the sinker, a No. 5/0 Kirby-Limerick hook tied to the end of the leader, and another a foot from it. In drifting, the long eel grass and sea- weed will collect on the line, leav- ing the bait on and near the end of the long leader clear. In using these long leaders, do not allow the lead to go to the bottom too fast, because the leader will go down parallel with the line and be- come entangled. Use heavy sinkers according to the thickness of the line. When the fish takes the bait, the strike should be followed up with a 107 Fish and Fishing gentle jerk of sufficient force to embed the hook firmly and to rouse the fish into action. The advantages of fishing for plaice are these: they can be fished for at any time of day or night; no waiting for tides and certain Daf Rshtng ^inds of weather; they are hungry all the time, and always willing to take what is offered to them. They have a rugged and powerful mode of resistance, especially the larger fish, which often succeed in getting off the hook or breaking the tackle, for they fight all the way till taken from the water. If cooked when fresh they are exceeding good eating, the flesh being white, juicy, and of good flavor. When filleted they make an excellent substitute for the famous English sole. FLOUNDER Next in importance to the plaice is the flounder, sometimes called the winter flounder, and also the flatfish; it is much more abundant and does not grow to so large a size as the plaice. The flounder is a cold-weather fish, biting from February to the beginning of May, and again Cold from October to December. They are Weather always on the bottom, feeding on shells, IS ing young crabs, or whatever they can find among the stones and in the mud. They prefer soft, black mud bottoms, and the boat should be anchored half-way between the middle of the channel and the edges. At high tide they scatter 108 POPULAR BOTTOM SEA FISH Popular Bottom Sea Fish well over the flats; at low tide they gather together in the centre of channels. Their mouths are very small, and as they would be unable to seize and kill other fish, they never come to the surface in search of their prey, as do the large-mouthed plaice. If the angler does not succeed in getting bites, it often happens that the fish lie buried in the mud, so that if the bottom is raked with the anchor or with the oar it will often stir them up to take the bait; and if the sinker is a heavy one and gets embedded, move it around to stir up Hookr^" the bottom. The hooks should be small, and placed within a few inches of the sinker. The best baits are sand worms, clams, and mussels. There is very little sport in landing flounders, because they rarely attain a weight of over two pounds, but they make up in numbers what they lack in weight, and the angler more often than not fills his basket with this toothsome little fish. If fried when fresh, they are equal to any salt- water fish in sweetness and nutriment. The rod is of little service in flounder fishing. Hand fines are invariably the rule; just a simple line, snelled hook, and sinker. No leader is re- quired. Two or three hooks may be attached if the fish are plentiful, and it is not uncommon for three fish to be hauled in at Bottom"'*''^ once. All the hooks should, how- ever, be as near the sinker and the bottom as possible; for that reason a small wire spreader can be attached whereby the three 109 Fish and Fishing hooks can be tied, all of even length from the wire, about six inches, the same distance as the sinker. Like the plaice, they are ever ready to bite at all times during the day or night, and v^^ind and tide play no part in the success of their capture. LAFAYETTE The name Lafayette was given this fish by the New York fishermen in consequence of its reappearance in large numbers in that region having been coincident with the arrival of Lafay- ette in this country in 1824. It had been known before that time, but only in scattering numbers. Dr. Tarleton Bean says that the name "spot" is derived from the presence of a dark blotch, about as big as the eye, near the root of the pectoral fin. Other names of this species are: goody, old wife, roach, and chub. The spot swarms on the Eastern coast during the hot months Names^ of July and August, and is caught as late as September. It is a small fish, rarely exceeding ten inches in length or a pound in weight; but for its size it is game to the last, and puts up a fight to shame much larger fish. It is one of the best pan fish caught in the sea. In both these qualities it resembles the porgy, though as a fighter it is much superior. It as- cends small streams in rather blackish water, and is a common associate with the white perch. 110 Popular Bottom Sea Fish Immediately the Lafayettes are running, it is a signal for hundreds of men and boys to erowd the North River ])iers so thick that Popularity • .u • i-..i i on some occasions there is little el- bow room for comfort, and when these fish come in with the new flood tide in large numbers, catches of a hundred or more are not remarkable. They may also be caught in great numbers at Rock- away, on the Jersey shore. Cape May, Atlantic City, and as far do^vn as May port in Florida. The most successful baits are small pieces of clam or small-sized sand worms. At certain times they are erratic and will only take shrimp or the leg of a shedder crab, so that the angler will do well to supply himself with a variety of bait. All bottom feeders are good biters at night, and the Lafayette is no exception to this rule. They take the hook with a sly, tentative nibble, sometimes hardly felt by the angler; but on feeling the barb, away they go, darting off, back and forth, with remarkably bold breaks similar to those made by brook trout. The main point in catching Lafayettes is to have small, very sharp hooks attached to the HcK)ks 1^^^^^ about six inches from the sinker, which should })e heavy enough to hold on the bottom. In such places as the docks and piers the tide does not affect the water, but Avhen the tide runs heavy the sinker can be changed. The bait should be small, just enough to cover the barb. A large bait tempts them to nibble away small pieces without being caught. Hand lines are 111 Fish and Fishing more frequently used, but a short light rod is more handy and easier to handle, and lands the fish more quickly, either in fishing from a boat or dock. Some anglers use a heavy sinker and swing it over- head fifty feet away. After getting the line taut, wait for the bite of a large fish. As the fish swims near the bottom in great schools, three or four hooks can be used and more fish caught. From late in August till the end of September to^pfsh there is hardly a place where Lafayettes may not be found, and if the right bait is given them, good sport, and what is more, a good mess can be caught. PORGY This is another plentiful and common sea fish known by many names. In New England it is generally called scup, while about New York it is paugy or porgy, both being abbreviated from the Narragansett Indian name, scuppaug. On the Virginia coast it is called the "fair maid." The porgy is found along our coast at all seasons of the year, but it is more numerous in June and July. The first run takes place about the begin- ning of May, and consists of large breeding fish, weighing from two to four pounds and measur- ing up to eighteen inches in length. On first coming near the shores they do not take the hook readily, being too much occupied in spawning, and two weeks elapse before they can be caught on the hook. They 112 < Popular Bottom Sea Fish present themselves in schools of immense extent, numbering many millions, moving very slowly at about the rate of three miles an hour. The porgy is mostly a bottom fish and depends very much on mollusks and shell-fish for subsistence, its especial food being small crabs, shell-fish, shrimps, and small minnows, but for bait the clam is by far the best; they also like the claws and legs of shedder crabs. Each leg when split open will make two or three baits just the right size for this fish. They will also go for small sand worms and blood worms when they will not touch other bait. They are gamy; if fine tackle is used their play is similar to that of the fresh- water perch. Sometimes the largei' fish just nib- ble and the angler will hardly feel a bite — yet the hook will be stripped clean. For that reason small hooks are much the best Nos. 5 to 7 are the sizes. Large-sized hooks are only used when big fish are running. The sinker should be heavy to keep the bait in one place. Place the first hook six inches above the sinker, the second hook another six above, and it may be of larger size than the lower hook. The porgy has a large head and hard mouth; so that when even a touch is felt on the line, give a sharp, quick strike to firmly embed the hook. For tackle use a light spring rod, though a reel is convenient to give a longer line at varying depths. Use a very fine line and small but extra sharp hooks. From the first of August to the last of October 113 Fish and Fishing many anglers enjoy catching this gamy Httle fish; outside the sport of landing them, they are much coveted as a pan fish. In flavor the to^pfsh P^^gy ^^ surpassed by few other fish on the coast, although its superabundance causes it to be under- valued ; the smaller ones especially are sweet and nutritious. SMELTS There are about a dozen species of this family which inhabit the cold and temperate Northern seas, but they are most plentiful along the coast of New England and the Middle States. The Eastern smelt grows occasionally to the length of a foot, but the average is about seven inches. They appear to associate in vast schools, some- what according to size, each school being the spawn of a single fish. The smelt remains about the coast, in the bays, throughout the year, save when it ascends fresh- „ , .^ water streams to breed. As soon as the Habits . . - .111 ice IS out, smelts appear m the brooks, at first in small numbers, and the run continues till the middle of May. They ascend usually at night or on dark days. They will not bite during the spawning season. From the latter part of August to late December smelts will bite with avidity, and the best time is at flood tide, though some will bite at ebb tide, and many anglers claim that more and larger fish are caught at night, especially on dark nights. 114 Popular Bottom Sea Fish The best baits arc these, in the order named: shrimps, blood worms, common garden worms, and small minnows. Their favorite bait is shrimp, which should be placed on the hook, tail first, the point of the hook coming out at the head. Minnows should be hooked through the lips, from underneath, with the hook coming out at the top of the nose. The rod should be no longer than eight feet; no reel is required, the line being tied at the tip, and the fish lifted right into the boat. Use a six-foot gut leader of medium thickness and attach to it four hooks, so that the end one will hang one foot from the bottom, the other three hooks being about one foot apart. The hooks should be small and the points sharp. A sinker tied to the end should be heavy enough to hold on the bottom, what- ever tide runs, so that the hooks will float well away from the line. At times they bite with such rapidity that they can be pulled into the boat as fast as the bait is put on. They are a swift-moving fish, and when once located a good catch is always the result. If smelts are cooked within a short time after being caught they are most delicious eating; the larger fish have an oily taste, not so agreeable as the small fish. COD AND TOMCOD This well-known and prolific fish is not esteemed by anglers for its gamy qualities but solely for 115 Fish and Fishing its value as a table food. It grows to a consider- able size, and is usually found in schools in great numbers and is readily captured. It is a deep- water fish, caught mostly in the open sea, in from eight to forty fathoms of water, from the fishing- bank boats and sailing vessels. At night, dur- ing the summer months, they sometimes run in close toward the shore, when they may be caught off the long piers at Coney Island and other places. They move in schools, periodically to and from shore, according to the seasonable change in the . temperature. The codfish, as well as the tomcod, is a winter fish, and is caught at a season when so many other species that supply food are absent eith-er in the deeper water, or have moved Southward into warmer waters. The codfish begin to bite early in Octo- ber and so continue through the winter till the end of April. They feed upon all marine animals that are smaller than themselves, which are found in the same water with them; anything that is digestible is greedily taken by this vo- Habits^"^ racious fish. So greedy are they that they have been caught with their stomachs filled to the greatest possible extent, having fish in their mouths which they have been unable to swallow for want of room; and in this condition they were still biting at the hook. Is it any wonder that they rapidly grow to an enor- mous size, frequently over one hundred pounds ? In fishing for cod nothing is needed but stout lines and heavy sinkers, and special cod hooks, 116 POPULAR BOTTOM SEA FISH Popular Bottom Sea Fish which should be placed as near the sinker as possible. It is entirely a matter of choice with the angler how many hooks are used, though the limit seems to be three. The same may be also said regarding the choice of bait used — clams, crabs, worms or killies — it is all the same to this ravenous fish, who after taking it, makes no resistance whatever. The ease of its capture is only limited to its weight. If the cod is cooked within a few hours of its capture, the flesh is much harder and tastes sweeter than that of fish purchased in the market that have probably been caught three or four days. The tomcod, in form, is a miniature of the codfish, rarely exceeding twelve inches in length. In some places it is called the frost fishj owing to the fact that it becomes more abundant in the early part of the winter. Angling for them begins in September, and the North River piers are lined with people who enjoy catching this dainty little fish. They are bold biters, playing fairly well when hooked. To get the best play and sport, use a short, springy rod, five to seven feet long, a light line and small reel with a light, three-foot leader, to which may be tied three hooks. The hooks should be close to the sinker, which must be heavy enough to hold on the bottom. Sand worms are by far Foun*d *^^ ^^^^ '^^^*' though shrimps or clams may be used. The tomcod can al- ways be found near piers and bridges, in the rivers and inlets, during the winter months. As a 117 Fish and Fishing food fish, they are esteemed in many localities as a great delicacy. They are not caught in vast numbers like the porgy, but they are a favorite with most anglers because they resist capture a great deal more than their giant relative and namesake. Red Snapper 118 CHAPTER V Where to Get Them GENERAL DISTRIBUTION— SALMON Nearly all fresh-water game fish are abundant in the cold or temperate regions, salmon and trout being more plentiful in waters chilled by winter's cold and snow. Bass, especially the large-mouthed, will thrive in warmer climates, where the waters are never frozen. Some species of trout and charr inhabit waters of compara- tively warm regions, as in lower California, but, the rivers are cooled by snow water from the high mountainous sections whence the rivers flow. Both the mascalonge and pike flourish and at- tain a larger size in the colder waters of the North, though the pickerel will exist in waters . of a much higher temperature; so that the best game fishing of inland waters may be placed in about the latitude of lower New York, thence Northward to near the arctic circle. To get good fishing for the true Atlantic Salmon the angler now must needs go to the British pos- sessions in North America. Only in a few scat- 119 Fish and Fishing tered localities isolated specimens are, at times, caught, and those are a survival of artificial planting in the vain hope of a return to the once plentiful supply of by-gone years. While Maine provides unequalled trout, togue, and landlocked salmon of remarkable size and abundance, its large rivers, like the Kennebec, . have been entirely robbed of this noble fish by means of dams and other ob- structions. The real, true, game fishing for salmon with a fly is in the Province of New Brunswick; and the most famous rivers on the northeastern coast are the Restigouche Brunswick (^^^stly private water), the Meta- pedia, Upsalquitch, Patapedia, and Kidgwick. Parts of these rivers are free to all comers, but the best pools are reserved either by clubs or private parties. The rivers on the north of the Bay of Chaleur are the Grand Bonaventure, Grand Cascapedia, Grand Romaine, and the St. Anne des Monts, in the Province of Quebec. On the St. Lawrence are the Godbout, the Moisie and the Mingan rivers, with a number of fair-sized fish in smaller streams nearer to the city of Quebec. In Nova Scotia there are a number of small salmon streams with fairly good fishing, and there, perhaps, is the most desirable Nova Scotia , ^ , ., , i place to go, unless the angler has unlimited time at his disposal and a deep pocket well filled. Nearly all the rivers in the Province of Quebec and other places, comparatively easy of access, 120 Where to Get Them have been leased to wealthy clubs or individuals, who expend large sums in protecting their waters. The Godbout, I believe, is leased from mouth to source for exclusive fishing by members. There are many other rivers where the best fishing and pools are located which are strictly closed except to the lessees. Fly fishing for salmon is the most difficult to get of any for fresh-water game fish. Many of the fish that are caught and reported as salmon are nothing but togue, or trout, or salmon trout that inhabit inland waters. The Atlantic salmon is never caught in lakes; it is only caught in the upper parts of rivers, which it enters for one ob- ject, that is to spawn, and then it returns to the sea. LANDLOCKED SALMON The landlocked salmon is found in many waters of northern Maine, but it is caught mostly in deep water, by trolling or still fishing, and very rarely on the fly, but withal, it gives excellent sport, and grows to a much larger size than the famous Saguenay salmon. Splendid fishing for „ . landlocked salmon is to be had in the Maine i i i , numerous large lakes, the most w^ell known among them being the Moosehead Lake, perhaps the finest fishing ground in North Amer- ica. Immense catches are made every season by a large army of anglers, not only of landlocked salmon, but of trout, and togue of unusual size. Other sections where the salmon is abundant, 121 Fish and Fishing are Lakes Sebec, Schoodic, Onawa, Squa Pan, and Square Lake. Salmon are also taken in fair quantities from some of the rivers, notably the Aroostook River; at Caribou and Fort Fairfield, specimens weighing up to twenty pounds being not uncommon. The well-known and world-famous leaping landlocked salmon, which is found in Lake St. John, and its many tributaries, for its size, may be said to be the gamiest fish that swims. The centre of its abundance is at the Grande De- charge of Lake St. John, and in the differ- S^ John ^^^ large rivers flowing in, the Peribonca, Tschotogama, Mistassini and the Ashuap- mouchouan, as well as a number of other rivers of lesser size but larger names. The lake is reached in nine hours from Quebec, through a wild, beautiful country. On its shores is the hotel Roberval, where every possible comfort is provided for angling guests; guides and canoes are always ready, and the fishing is an experience all anglers delight to try. As in other famous fishing resorts, the enor- mous quantities caught every season seem to have little effect on their abundance. Twenty fish to each person is the day's limit; the limit is often reached, if the angler is no duffer. All fishing is done in furious, rapid water, and only the fly is used to catch them; their play, as well as leaping traits are marvellous for so small a fish, the average being only three pounds, though some are caught up to seven. So far as is known, this species is 122 Where to Get Them confined to northern Maine and the Province of Quebec ; a few isolated specimens may be taken in other locaHties, but not enough to be called good fishing, compared to that here described. It is well known that the Pacific salmon will not take the fly, but magnificent fishing may be had in the salt water of Monterey, Santa Salomon C^"^' ^^"^ Carmel Bays. The method is to troll in thirty feet of water with smelt bait and a spoon. MASCALONGE, PIKE The range of mascalonge fishing is limited to the country around the Great Lakes and to parts of Canada. Many so-called recorded capt- ures of mascalonge are in reality pike. The greatest abundance is in the lakes and rivers of Wisconsin, parts of Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio. In the Eastern States it is rare. Beginning with . Wisconsin, they are in the following waters: in the Chippewa River and various connecting lakes, in Cedar, Rice, and Long lakes, in the Rivers Wisconsin and Spirit; the River Flambeau and Lakes Clear, Somo, Otter, and Marie, at Birchwood and vicinity, in Lakes Red Cedar and Birch; near Edgewater, Lake Chelae, at Reserve, Lake Grindstone; near Rhine- lander in Lakes Sugar Camp, Pine, Peli- can, and Crescent; near Luck, in Lakes Butternut and Half-moon; at Hobson in Lakes Twin, Clear, Stone, and Stella; at Apollonia, in 123 Fish and Fishing Lakes Chain, Island, and Bruce, with numerous tributaries and smaUer waters. In Canada, es- pecially in rivers and lakes tributary to Lakes Su- perior and Huron, and in many parts of Ontario the mascalonge is fairly plentiful. In the upper Ohio River and some of its larger tributaries it may be caught in the deep pools by still fishing. In Lakes Michigan, Erie, Huron, and Ontario they have been taken at times, but not in large numbers, though large in size. They are taken in Scioto and Mahoning rivers, in Ohio, f I I. ^^^ i^ Conneaut Lake, Pa., in Lake Pepin, Wis. and Chautauqua Lake, N. Y., the latter water being the home of the un- spotted mascalonge, an excellent game fish, to my mind superior to the spotted variety* of the lakes. In the Niagara River and the St. Lawrence, about the Thousand Islands, they may be said to be fairly plentiful, numerous catches having been made last season of fine large fish. There are no special places better than others, all the shal- lower waters near the shore of the Islands will give good results. This fish has also been taken in some of the lakes and rivers of Kentucky and Tennessee, sometimes of a good size. The pike has a much wider range than the mascalonge and it is also more plentiful. It is found, along with the pike perch, in a great many of the larger lakes in Canada, and grows up to thirty or forty pounds weight, numerous speci- mens of that size having been taken in the Sague- 124 Where to Get Them nay at Lake St. John, just at the outlet, near the Island House. Large in size and abundant in number are those caught in Georgian Bay, in the St. Law- rence, and Lake St. George, the latter being the most famous. From Lake Champlain Waters ^^^^ "^^^ ^^ found, down through the lakes in New York, New Jersey, Penn- sylvania, to Kentucky and Tennessee. Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, all the States of the Middle West, have pike waters a-plenty. BASS The black bass, both large and small mouth, is at the present day so widely distributed that there are few sections in the United States where they are not found. This happy condition is due to the real worth of the fish as a gamy quarry, so that many States and private individuals have placed them in waters suited to their requirements. Bass were introduced into the State of Maine by the commissioners in 1869. In New York State the commissioners planted bass in seventy lakes, ponds, and rivers in 187L Introduction Private citizens of Pennsylvania in INew Waters introduced small-mouth bass into the Susquehanna, Potomac, and Delaware rivers in 1878; New Hampshire, in 1864, Connecticut in 1852, Massachusetts in 1850. The black bass is indigenous in the waters of northern Wisconsin, and along the Appalach- 125 Fish and Fishing ian chain to the Carohnas and northern Geor- gia. They were also plentiful in the Great Lake waters and Mississippi valley, Ohio, Foifnd^"^ Illinois, and Missouri River basins, the large-mouth being common along the Florida peninsula. On the north-eastern coast some of the finest bass fishing to be enjoyed is at Belgrade lakes in Maine, notwithstanding the fact that a large number of anglers go there every season to try their luck, with never-ending success. Belgrade is composed of a number of lakes connected by various streams teeming with fish food highly suited to the bass; consequently they are big, plentiful, and gamy, rising freely to the fly from early June till August. Other good bass localities in northern Maine are Sc- hools Lake and its tributaries, Schoodic Lake, the Piscataquis River, with many ponds and lakes near by. The Sebec Lake, which is connected by various streams, affords most excellent fishing. So widely have the bass been planted and so rapid their growth that it is impossible to give the names of the large number of lakes and streams, in that vast region. Any bass fisherman who has not been to the St. Lawrence among the Thousand Islands, will find it well worth a visit, making his head- Is/ands""* quarters at Clayton, N. Y., where guides of real worth, and boats, roomy and comfortable, may be hired. There is no special place; it is all good fishing along the rocky shores 126 127 Fish and Fishing of nearly all the Islands. Fish are plentiful, of good size, and gamy fighters. Mention may be made of Round Island, Fisher's Landing, and smaller island rocks which furnish glorious sport. Skipping into- Canada, and getting on the Canadian Pacific Railroad in Ontario, are the beautiful Rideau lakes, large, island-dotted bodies of crystal water, by many people considered the best bass waters on the North American Continent. A hundred miles from To- ronto is Havelock, with very fine bass fishing in the River Trent, notably between Trent Bridge and Healy Falls, especially near the latter. In central Ontario, but eight hours from Buf- falo, are the ten Kawartha lakes, all literally swarming with gamy bass that, early in the season, take the fly. Then there is the famous Gatineau River, with many tributaries and lakes dotting its winding course directly through the Laurentian Moun- tains; also the Chats Rapids, on the Ottawa . River, give splendid bass fishing. All these waters in Canada, while famed for bass, also afford magnificent mascalonge, as well as trout, very often in the same waters. In the native home of the bass, in the Middle West ^ Western States of Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, and Kentucky, the popu- larity of that fish is supreme. In northern New York bass are abundant in Lake Champlain, especially near St. Albans. Bass anglers will find Samson's an ideal place 128 POPULAR FRESH-WATER GAME FISH Where to Get Them to stay, not only for bass, but large pike. Side trips can be made to Raquette, Forked, White, Fourth, Bisby, and Sucker lakes; Champlain ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ Black and Moon rivers. In western New York by far the best bass fishing is in Chautauqua Lake, where the fish are large, pugnacious fighters, and I consider it as good as the St. Law- Lake rence as a place to enjoy sport, be- cause it also has the mascalonge. Bemus Point is a famous place for head-quarters. Within 150 miles of New York the best bass fishing is in the Delaware River, at East Branch, Deposit, Fish Eddy, Cook's Falls, and some distance along the Beaverkill. Both branches of the Delaware at this point are swarming with bass, above and below the junc- tion, right down to Port Jervis. There are count- less lakes and ponds, with their tributaries well stocked with bass, in the counties of Delaware, Sullivan, and Broome, in New York, as well as the counties of Wayne, Pike, and Susquehanna in Pennsylvania. In the Schuylkill River there are many stretches of good bass water, particularly that from Royer's Ford to Yankee Dam, a distance of three miles, and about thirty miles from Philadelphia. In a like manner the Sus- quehanna River from Bino^hamton, Susquehanna * , . , i i i on the north branch, and the Chemung River which joins it just below Athens, and nearly all the Susquehanna's many tributa- 129 Fish and Fishing ries, running down through the mountains to Harrisburg and below, furnish the bass fisher- man with thousands of places to fill his creel. The State of Pennsylvania is one of the most fortunate States in the Union, having a large num- ber of bass and trout waters tributary to its two great rivers, which furnish ample sport to its hosts of fishermen. Within a distance of fifty miles roundabout New York City there are many bass waters; in New Jersey are Greenwood Lake, New York g^^j,^ ^ake, Hopatcong, Pompton, Ramapo and the Raritan River. In New York are Rockland Lake, Cromwell Lake, and Croton Dam; on Long Island are Lake Ronkonkoma and Peconic River; all these furnish rare good sport both on the fly and bait. Bass are plentiful in nearly all the Southern States. Florida stands first, both in quan- ita/J^^*^" tity and size of fish. From Jacksonville down to Miami there is a long chain of lakes, mostly connected by rivers, literally swarming with big fish, mostly of the large-mouth species, running up to fourteen pounds weight. But, as previously stated, the natural home of the bass is the Middle West, with Chicago as its centre. TROUT AND CHARRS Of all the fresh- water game fish, the trout have the largest number of admirers, and along with the black bass are the most abundant and widely 130 Where to Get Them distributed of any fish. For that reason it will be necessary to class the different species to- gether in two divisions — those caught in deep water (mostly by trolling) and those on the sur- face with the fly and worm. Surface fishing is more or less confined to brooks and small streams; deep fishing is often necessary in large rivers, and nearly always in lakes and ponds. and^'s^face ^^^^ angle/ must remember that mountain-brook fishing is not so good after the first month of the season, because, to a certain extent, many brooks dry up; and in shallow water few places are available in w^iich the fish can hide from the continuous assaults of worm and fly. Large trout, if they rise to a fly at all in big lakes do so only early, or very late in the season; and deep-water flshing is best at the end of spring and beginning of summer, when all traces of ice and snow water have disappeared. In the large lakes, brook trout, or fontinalisy grow big and gross — up to ten pounds weight — if they feed on a flsh diet. Three pounds is a large weight for surface-feeding fish in shallow waters, but their game qualities make up what they lack in weight. There are waters wherein the brown, rainbow, and even brook trout will live with the bass, but never with pike and mascalonge. It is safe to say that the State of Maine stands easily first, as the most productive fishing ground for trout in the United States, both for size, quan- tity, and variety of species. 131 Fish and Fishing Its innumerable lakes and rivers, with countless tributaries, teem with fish, notwithstanding the . continuous drain on the supply made every season by an army of fishermen from all parts of the country. I shall, therefore, only mention its larger fishing places, the smaller brook fishing (though good) being of secondary consideration. In this vast region of 15,000 square miles of forest-covered land, with running streams that are tributaries and often connect its many large lakes, the angler will find plenty of sport, wherever he chooses to go. In the waters of the Piscataquis and Hunt Brook, and in Schoodic Lake there will be found big trout and togue; near Milo Junction is Pleas- ant River with its many branches, all well stocked with trout of fair size; in Roaring Brook, Houston Pond, Hounston Brook, Mountain Pond, Lyford, West Branch, Greenwood, Cedar, Spruce, Chair- back and B ponds, and the upper waters of Pleas- ant River itself, is good fishing worthy of a visit. From there a ride by rail to Katahdin Iron Works reaches another good lo- cality for big trout. The Rangeley Lakes are widely known for their numerous and large trout and togue. Sebec Lake, a tributary to the Piscataquis River, is sur- rounded by good fishing in Goose Pond, Mill Brook, Grape Pond, Long, Second, Third, Fourth, Burden, and Benson ponds. The railway to Monson, will place the angler near Hebron and many other ponds. Near 132 Where to Get Them Shirley are the Gove and Gravel brooks, Specta- cle, Ordway, Indian, Trout, Notch, Round, and Moxie ponds, all full of good trout, not often fished for. The famous Moosehead Lake is forty miles long by eighteen broad, a splendid expanse of water, and upon its shores stands Mt. Kineo House, whose guests take many big trout up to . seven pounds weight. A big togue Moosehead .,..[, ^ . . ^ / or thirty-two pounds is recorded as having been taken from this water last season. Other good fishing in this vicinity is the Moose River, Brassau Lake, with many tributary streams and ponds. On the west branch of the Penobscot River may be found numberless ponds, lakes, and streams containing fine, large trout and togue. Below Caribou, the Aroostook River receives the waters of the Madawaska and its tributaries, the best being the Cain, Greenlaw, Brandy, Wol- verton. Halfway, Black, Johnson, Bearsley, Arm- strong, and McKlusky brooks, with many ponds and good-sized lakes as their source, all full of trout, some large in size. Near Ask- land, on the Aroostook River, is the mouth of the Big Machias River, which has on both sides many tributaries. Other large and im- portant fishing sections, providing excellent sport, are the Fish River, the Allagash, and St. John, each with many tributaries and their lakes and ponds, all famous for fine trout fishing. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are easily 133 Fish and Fishing reached from Boston and New York by rail or by water, and both provinces are honey-combed with large and small rivers, lakes and ponds, con- taining various species of salmon and trout. Head-quarters in New Brunswick can be made either at St. John, St. Andrews, St. Brunswick Stephen, or at Fredericton, for the following rivers: the Nashwaak, Tay, Miramichi, Cains, and the Clearwater, the Rivers Tobique, Forks, and Campbell. From head-quarters at Edmundton there are many rivers from which to make a choice, the upper St. John, Madawaska, and Green rivers. A short trip from St. John, N. B., to Digby, Nova Scotia, finds the angler in the vicinity of plenty of good trout and salmon streams, small in comparison to those of Maine and New Scoda Brunswick, but the fishing is in the midst of beautiful pastoral scenery, kindly peo- ple, and most pleasant associations. The best waters are the Tusket lakes. Bras d'Or, and many small streams all abounding in trout. On the north side of the St . Lawrence from the mouth of the solemn Saguenay, to the City of Quebec, are many splendid streams from lakes in the interior that are full of the jontinalis and sea trout, in particular those from Lake Edward and Jacques Cartier, all of which can be easily reached from Quebec City. In western Ontario may be found grand trout fishing in Lake Nipigon, and near the outlet of Georgian Bay is the famous Lake Nipissing. In Canada, as 134 Where to Get Them in Maine, it is only possible to mention some of the most prominent trout sections. It will he noticed . that in Canada, as well as in New York, the fish called lake trout is the same species as that called togue, in Maine. During the last three or four years trout fishing in the Adirondack region has vastly improved, so that the future looks exceedingly bright, compared to ten years ago when trout were few and far between, and anglers were forced to go elsewhere for sport. This happy change has come about, by reason of ample stocking of the waters, not only by the State, but by wealthy private individuals and clubs. There are no less than thirty-eight lakes and ponds, as well as nine- teen streams, in which the red-throat trout, brook, brown, lake, and rainbow are, in a measure, fairly plentiful, because they have been stocked every season under the auspices of the Saranac Lake Fish and Game Club. This last season two lake trout were taken from Owl and Pine ponds, weighing twenty-six and twenty-seven pounds, both caught on small Archer spinners, with minnow, in deep water. Many of the large lakes in western central New York are well stocked with trout; chief among them is Lake Keuka, which contains big specimens of rainbow, lake, and New "^ York ^^^'^ok trout. They are caught by trolling with spoons, having three branch leaders from the main line placed at various depths. It is a common occurrence for 135 Fish and Fishing anglers to get three trout on one rig. Catches of twelve to fifteen lake trout from four to six pounds are frequently made, even by amateurs. Specimens have been caught up to twenty pounds. X I 1. The lake trout is a native of the Great Lakes, and is found in its largest and best condition in Lakes Huron, Mich- igan, and Superior. In those lakes, specimens weighing fifty pounds are not uncommon, one having been recorded of the enormous weight of ninety pounds and six feet in length. This covers, incompletely, the best deep-water fishing for trout. There are, no doubt, isolated sections in many States where good trout may be caught. For anglers residing in the Eastern States, the best fishing I know for speckled, brown, and rain- bow trout, in brooks and small rivers, caught on the fly and with the worm, is in the mountainous section of Monroe, Pike, and Wayne counties of Pennsylvania and of Delaware, Sullivan and Ulster co.unties in New York ; also in parts of west- ern New Jersey. The method of fishing in this section is mainly by wading down the rippling brooks, or in the middle of rivers, not over two Monroe, Pike, ^^^^ deep, under the most ideal and Wayne and favorable conditions — untram- counties melled, free to all, no guides or boats or long wearisome journeys. I have many times in numerous places creeled twenty-five nice ten-inch trout. In Monroe County, the best locations are the 13G Where to Get Them brooks near Canadansis, Tannersville, Cresco, and Buslikill; among them are the Broadhead, Buckhill, Middle Branch, Levis Branch, Goose Pond Run, Spruce Cabin Run, Stony Run, and Mill Creek. Most of these are within easy reach of Spruce Cabin Inn, a pleasant place for anglers, where they will find agreeable company and good fish. In Pike County are Shohola Brook, Panther Brook, Parker's Glen Brook; other trouting streams are Pocona Creek, Sandy Spring Creek, Wolf Swamp Brook, Still-water, Deep Hollow, Tunkhannock, Trout Creek, Tobyhanna Creek. Near Clifton is the Lehigh River, Belle Meadow, Pond Creek, Ash Creek, and Sheep Brook. Right on the borders, where Sullivan County joins Wayne, are Narrowsburg, Cochecton, and Callicoon. The various streams are Ten-Mile River, Boyd's Mills Brook, Callicoon Creek, Hol- lister Creek, all first-rate, early-season trout wa- ters, with some really good-sized fish. A few miles into Sullivan County are the Beaverkill, Willowe- mock, Mongaup, Neversink, Little Neversink, and their smaller brook tributaries. From Lew Beach to the village of Beaverkill, on Sullivan, * to Rockland and Cook's Falls, is and Ulster good fly fishing for speckled, brown, counties o ./ o r ' ^ and rainbows; from Willowemock Village to De Bruce, where the late Wm. C. Harris and I have landed many a good trout, staying at the comfortable Hearthstone Inn ; thence to Parkston, Parksville, Livingston Manor, to 137 Fish and Fishing Roscoe, where at the Roscoe House is the best angler in the three counties. The Mongaup at De Bruce is a fine, small, early stream. The little Beaverkill, a mile or two above Parks ville Station, is a good small stream. A great many of the smaller brooks run into these larger streams, affording excellent early-season fishing. The upper Neversink is good, but the lower part near the O. & W. R. R. is not so good as it will be in a few seasons ; it is now being well stocked. It was formerly one of the best native trout streams in the county, wide with many deep pools. In the central Catskills, numberless small brooks yield good fishing. Esopus Creek and others are well stocked. Crossing the Hudson into the Berkshires and thence into Connecticut, some distance back from the coast, there are many streams and brooks well stocked with trout, affording really good fishing. In the mountain streams of North Carolina and Virginia, the brook trout is found at home, and . . may be caught in plenty during the early months of the season. Stocking has been going on for some years; though not very many visit that locality. The mountains of California P ,.» . are full of fine trout streams; the beau- tiful Yosemite with its golden, as well as rainbow trout, affords splendid fishing. Lake Tahoe has trout of that name. In Colorado there are fine trout, big fish, and plenty of them; per- haps the best are in the Platte Canon, only a 138 Where to Get Them few hours' drive from Denver. All along the canon good accommodation is found, notably at River View, Buffalo Park, Pine Grove, Altruria, and Cassells; at all these places the stream is close at hand. The water is ideal for casting the fly, rapid, plenty of falls and pools, amidst the most beautiful scenery and a delight- ful climate. Long Island has a few small trout streams that are excellent fishing, but the best are re- served by wealthy clubs; well stocked, but well , . J guarded. Those left open to the Long Island ° , ,. ,1,^^111 public are absolutely nshed dry the first week in the season, so that as a fishing ground for the public at large it counts for nothing whatever. Quite a number of the railroads are now, I am pleased to see, taking active interest in the fishing along their lines; some, more enterprising, main- tain hatcheries and do stocking of their waters. POPULAR SALT-WATER FISH Many anglers want to know the best places to go; though it is impossible to mention all places in Canada and the United States, in the main, the best places are here given for salt-water fish. For big deep-sea game fishes by far the best locality probably anywhere is in the neighl^orhood of Avalon, Santa Catalina, and adjacent islands on the California coast. There they are not only plentiful, but grow to a size scarcely to 139 Fish and Fishing be believed. The Eastern weakfish, known on the Pacific coast as the white sea-bass, grows to a weight of fifty pounds and up- Pacific coast w^^^' it is g^"^y t« ^ degree. But most famous are the tuna, yellow tail, barracuda, albacore, and giant black sea-bass, the latter reaching 400 pounds bulk. These and many other minor fish may be taken from April to December in Avalon Bay down the coast to San Diego. Further South, all along the Gulf coast of Texas, (leaving out Mexico) from Brownsville to Galveston, running along past and Fknida Louisiana to the Western peninsula of Florida, there are scores of an- gling resorts for tarpon, jewfish, barracuda, group- ers, sword-fish, and sharks. From the Florida Keys, North along the eastern coast up to Jack- sonville are the main fishing grounds for big game. In the vicinity of the tarpon grounds, palatial hotels, with every comfort, line the shore, easily reached by railways, opened up within the last few years. The most famous tarpon fishing in Florida and Texas is at Indian River, Jupiter Inlet, Miami, Bahia Honda, Fort Myres, Pine Island, and Boca Grande. On the Texas coast the chief places are Aransas Pass, where the tarpon club is situated. Corpus Christi, Captiva, Marco, Naples, and other places. From Jacksonville, Savannah, and Charleston to Norfolk, Va., at the proper season, there may be caught blue-fish, black-fish, hogfish, sea-bass, sheepshead, channel bass, kingfish, bonito, pom- 140 fev. ^ tioU llX"^ < O CD X z p < a. 2 ^O 0