:r^<::r i THE BOOK OF FISH AND FISHING Il "-\ Copyright, 1908, by CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS Published June, 1908 TO MY WIFE- NO FISHER— BUT FOR WHOSE ASSISTANCE I COULD NOT BE ONE 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 foliowino; distin<>;uished 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 Pennell ("Trout and Salmon"), W. C. Stewart ("Worming for Trout"), John Bickerdjke, Major Traherne, Frederick M. Halford, Henry R. Francis, Dr. Brown Goode, Charles Hallock, Thaddeus Norris, Frank Forrester, Genio Scott, and others. 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. Flatbush, L. /. — 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 — Tarj)on — 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. IV. Popular Bottom Sea Fish . 98 Sea-Bass — Tautog or Blackfish — King- fish — Plaice — Flounder — Lafayette — Porgy — Smelts — Cod — Tomcod. V. AMiere 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 xi — Contents rivers — Weather conditions — Minnows and how to hook them —Various live 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. Equip.ment: 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—Gafhng. 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. 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 ... 60 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 Distribution of fresh-water fish on North American Continent .... 127 Distribution of salt -water fish on the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf Coasts . .141 Charts 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 ''''xltuiu. 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, ''"'*" especially first taken from the pSmify when 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- Salmorf ™^c- ^^ 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.