In ordinary trout-fishing, however, salmon do not abound nor come

unceremoniously devouring our baits intended for their smaller brethren;

nor are even trout so extremely numerous but that, for a long summer

day’s work, a light able rod will be infinitely preferable to a heavy

one. A rod that weighs fourteen ounces is heavy, and I have seen persons

with their hands or wrists dreadfully swollen after a single day’s

fishing, and have had such persons assure me that their rods were as

light as they could be possibly made. Delicacy to me is the first

essential in trout-fishing, whether delicacy of rod and tackle, or

delicacy of handling and casting. Catching a trout with a stick and a

string is not half the fun of catching a flounder, the latter being much

more difficult to lug out of water; and delicacy in trout-fishing will

bring the best reward.

With a cedar rod you need use the wrist alone, and that without much

exertion; you can cover great distances and still control the line, and

you can switch the fly under bushes and in difficult places, better

than with any other rod I ever used. It is quick, reliable, vigorous,

and light, the slightest motion gives the tip the requisite spring, and

it answers every effort of the hand instantly. It kills a fish

powerfully and rapidly, and exposure to wet neither deadens nor weakens

it. The ordinary hickory and ash-joint are much stronger, but are logy

in their action and far heavier; joints of split cane or malacca are

light, beautiful, and expensive, but are almost unattainable, and are,

occasionally at least, deficient in power; and whalebone, for any part

of the rod, is dull, heavy, inappropriate, and when water-soaked,

utterly worthless. For these reasons and many others--these are enough,

however--I prefer a cedar rod.

Many persons give the preference to a limber rod, one that bends in the

middle, and they can, after infinite practice, cast well with it; in

pleasant weather they can throw a light line, but when the storm lowers

and the wind blows, or the current rages, or the cast is very long, or

the bushes overhang, then good-bye to the gentleman with that most

wretched of implements, a weak-backed limber rod. Give me no such

inefficient deception to break my wrist, my heart, and my patience; as

well tell me that whalebone has the vigor of a steel spring.

The joints of a rod are united in various ways; with the salmon-rod it

is almost essential, and with all rods desirable, to use splices, but

the custom is to indulge the laziness of ferrules. American ferrules

fit accurately, and of course after the wood is swollen by exposure to

rain, they will not come apart even if the joint-ends are all brass, a

difficulty that can be obviated by rubbing them with mutton tallow, and

loosening them every night, and we advise the same precaution in wet

weather with the reel bands. In this connection it may be well to tell

the reader how he can, with a little trouble, separate the ferrules, no

matter how solid they may seem to be; in the first place heat them

moderately, and pour a little oil round the joint; then take two stout

pieces of string, or better, braid, about a foot long, and tying the

ends of each together, wrap one close above and the other below the

joint in the contrary directions; then insert a stick in each loop, and

turn one one way, and the other the opposite. If the bands slip, rub

them with wax.

The English ferrules, not fitting so closely, are not liable to this

objection; but, on the other hand, would come apart in use, to the

intense disgust of the angler, were they not held together by a piece of

silk, that, when they are set up, has to be wound round a loop of brass

fastened upon each for the purpose. This silk must be cut every time the

rod is taken apart, and occasions much trouble. The Irish use a

screw-joint, which is firm and not liable to bind; but it is difficult

to fit, easy to break, and, in the woods, impossible to replace. Among

these plans the simple socket has obtained the preference, and probably

is entitled to the distinction.

It is doubtless useless for me at this day to tell any intelligent

sportsman that the butt of a fly-rod must never be hollow; its solidity

is necessary to a proper balance; but where the fishing is merely to be

done along the streams, a spear-head that can be screwed into the end

will add little to the weight, and prove useful driven into the ground

to hold the rod, while the fisherman changes his flies or frees them

from a weed or bush. On a trout-rod there should be no reel-bands, but a

gutta-percha ring, or a leather strap and buckle, will retain the reel

firmly, and enable the angler to change its position at his pleasure,

and by altering the balance, rest his wrist. These seem trivial matters,

but mole-hills are mountains if they rest upon a sore spot. On a

salmon-rod the reel-bands should be strong, and about a foot from the

end.

There should be rings or guides enough on a fly-rod to bring the strain

evenly throughout, and if one is destroyed, it should be replaced at

once, or a liability to break will result. If rings are used, they and

the brass top should be large and fastened on with a whipping of silk,

that adds much strength to the wood. Where a spliced rod is used, it is

well to have a small ring of brass, somewhat similar to the reel-band on

each joint, under which the end of the splice can be slipped before

fastening it.

For salmon and trout-fishing, the reel had better be a simple, large

barrelled click-reel, as the music of the line, unwinding to the rush of

these splendid fish, while it indicates the rate of its diminution, is

to the angler what the clarion is to the warrior, or the hound’s bay to

the deer hunter; but a multiplier, made as they are only made in this

country, working with the beauty and accuracy of clock-work, is by no

means inadmissible. A drag must be used with the multiplier, but a stop

never; the latter is utterly useless, and by slipping unexpectedly, may

destroy your tackle. The reel must be manufactured with the greatest

care and of the best workmanship; no implement is so worthless if poor,

and none will better repay the sportsman if perfect. In salmon-fishing,

it is only in desperate straits that any effort is made to check the

fish; he is ordinarily too violent to submit to such treatment;

otherwise, as the single-barrelled reel revolves toward you, it could

not be used, as it cannot in bass-fishing.

A multiplier should have steel pins, which require care and frequent

oiling; the same reel may be used for bass, and, if armed with a drag as

above stated, in case of necessity in salmon-fishing. For both salmon

and bass it should be of the largest size, and may be painted black to

preserve it from rust, and to avoid alarming the fish. The line will

occasionally catch round the handle, to prevent which, the latter is

sometimes constructed of a button fitting in a plate.

All reels must be oiled occasionally. On one occasion I proved this to

my satisfaction in a very unsatisfactory way.

The weather had been hot and dry; the water had fallen and become

transparent as crystal; the fish were shy and cautious. After exhausting

my ingenuity in selecting new flies to suit their capricious tastes, I

had settled upon one of bright yellow, which, if the gentlemen did not

wish to eat, they did seem to enjoy inspecting; they rose to it freely,

and after I had tried in vain to strike them, curiosity induced me to

keep count of their number.

Fourteen times had they risen and disappeared uninjured; fourteen times

had my nerves tingled, and my blood started; fourteen times had sudden

hope turned to bitter disappointment, till anticipation settled down

into dull despair. Only those who have themselves had such painful

experiences can appreciate my feelings; the continual tantalizing

approximation to success, to be followed by agonizing failure; the

renewed hope that the next rise would result in the capture of a fish

ever to remain unfulfilled; the desperate effort to strike quicker or to

cast more attractively; all these and many other feelings swarmed

through my heart, as fish after fish approached his fate, and invariably

escaped.

They seemed to be feeding, as it is called, and when the fly passed they

rose, and turning over like a porpoise chasing mossbunkers, seemed to

take it in their mouths. They did not spring out of water in the gaiety

of reckless play, but acted as they would have done if swallowing the

natural insect. Not that it is certain that salmon feed on flies; but

while they can rarely be taken while playing, they often can be when

acting in a manner resembling feeding.

My patience not exhausted, for it never is while fish will rise, I

directed the canoe to be dropped towards the lower end of the

fishing-ground, and stepped from it to a rock in the stream, and then

casting the farthest and lightest possible, was rewarded. A magnificent

fish rose; was secured by a quick turn of the butt, and stung by the

unexpected pain, fled down the current. Away he went, on without a

pause, the reel hissing, the line unwinding, and darting into the water,

till having exhausted seventy-five yards of line, and being partially

turned by its weight and the resistance of the click, he stopped with a

heavy surge, and heading back, approached as fast as he had fled.

Instantly and instinctively my hand fell upon the handle of the reel; it

would not turn, no effort could budge it; conceive my feelings now, if

mortal man can conceive them. The fish coming towards us, the line lying

in a long heavy bag behind him, threatening to sink and catch round some

rock, or by its slacking up release the hook; I jerked in the line,

thinking a grain of sand might have penetrated between the plates, and

tried the handle first one way, then the other, in vain.

This all passed with the speed of thought, but the fish was approaching

as quickly; there was nothing left but calling one of my men to tell him

to take in the line, hand over hand, and holding it in a loose coil, be

prepared to pay it out on the next rush. Then thinking that the plates

must be bent, I took from my pocket a screw-driver that I always

carried, and unloosened every screw. There I stood, grasping in one hand

the rod, while the tip bent to the motions of the fish, with the other

working away at the reel; beside me my best man, slowly drawing in or

paying out the line as need must; both of us eager, anxious, and

startled at this new mode of killing salmon; the fish, vigorous as ever,

making continual and sustained rushes, but fortunately none as extended

as his first.

I had freed every screw in the reel, but without any result; it was as

immovable as ever; there was no resource but to do the best we could, in

our original mode of proceeding, under the circumstances. Never before

had a fish proved himself stronger or braver; for a good half hour he

kept us on the stretch, and then sulked. Stationing himself in the edge

of the current, he held his own doggedly; fifteen minutes of such

behavior exhausted our patience. If I tried to lead him towards the

shore, he took advantage of the eddy to resist; if to turn him the other

way, he braced himself against the current; a severe strain, however,

brought him to the surface, and revealed the fact that he was not

sulking at the bottom, but resolutely swimming, head up stream, in the

current.

Not a little surprised, we tossed in a pebble, then a stone, at last a

rock, when, indignant, he fled down stream; fifteen minutes more of

exciting contest, several rushes when he was on the point of being

captured, resulted at last in bringing him flouncing on the gaff out of

water. He only weighed fifteen pounds, but had been hooked foul, the

point having penetrated at the hard bone near the eye.

I then sat down deliberately to discover what had happened to my reel;

it seemed to be in perfect order, but would not move; I tried to drive

the shaft out of its bearing with the mallet--a heavy club of wood used

to kill the fish after they are gaffed, but only after a good hour’s

work did I succeed in separating it, and found that for want of oil the

two surfaces had become almost solid. They were as bright as burnished

gold, and had evidently been heated by the first desperate rush of the

fish; after being touched with a drop of oil and replaced, they worked

beautifully.

It is curious to note how, in salmon-fishing, accidents will happen when

the fish is on the hook; if the line is weakened, or the leader fretted,

or the rod strained, the weight and power of the fish expose the

weakness; if anything is aught but perfect, it gives way at that

critical moment. In trout-fishing you are apt to discover the defects in

time, and in bass-fishing the tackle is coarse and strong; but in

salmon-fishing you first learn their presence by their parting. Never

use a doubtful strand of gut, or a second-quality hook; never tie a knot

without thoroughly testing it, and never use a leader that is in the

least worn.

The best line by far, for both salmon and trout-fishing, is the braided

silk covered with a water-proof preparation, and tapered to the fineness

of the gut-leader. If this can be obtained no other should be thought

of, but if it cannot, the others are about on a disgraceful par of

mediocrity; the one that is usually praised, that of silk and horse-hair

mixed, being, if possible, the worst, for while it has the weakness of

the horse-hair, and water-soaking capacity of the silk, it has a

difficulty especially its own, arising from the protrusion of short ends

of hair that have broken or rotted off, and which are continually

catching the rings, or guides. The common silk line may be coated with

raw linseed oil by stretching it in a garret or some place shaded from

the sun, and rubbing it with a cloth soaked in the oil; several coats

must be applied, allowing each to dry before a renewal, and care must be

taken to avoid exposure to the sun’s rays, which will rot the line. If

thoroughly coated it will answer nearly as well as if prepared in a more

scientific manner.

The elegance, ease, and delicacy of casting depend much upon the

proportions of the leader or casting-line, its length, taper, and

adaptation to the line and rod; if these are not accurately ascertained

and complied with--and they can only be determined by actual experience

with each rod and line--the execution will be faulty. Consequently no

absolute rule can be given, but the length and taper must depend upon

circumstances. The strands of gut are selected, the clearest, roundest,

and hardest being the best, and having been assorted according to size,

are tied together with the double-water knot for salmon-fishing, and

with either the same or the single-water knot for trout. If it is

desired to fasten the droppers between the knots, the latter must be

used, and the gut must be well soaked in warm water before it is tied.

Leaders thus prepared and suited accurately to the line and rod, will

be found cheaper and more satisfactory than those usually sold in the

shops, and may be tapered to any degree of fineness.

The fly-book in which the sportsman collects his treasures--the fairy

imitations of the tiny nymphs of the waterside--and which is the source

of so much delight in inspecting, replenishing, and arranging during the

season that the trout are safe from honorable pursuit, is at present one

of the most ungainly and inconvenient things that he uses. It is either

of mammoth size and filled with flannel leaves in which the moth revel,

but in which the hooks will not stick, or it is so ingeniously arranged

that the flies on one page entangle themselves in a remarkably

complicated manner with those on the other, and whenever the book is

opened do their best to tumble out and carry with them such leaders as

may be within reach of their obstinate barbs. It has places for articles

that are not wanted, and none for those that are; the disgorger, an

instrument about as useful to the angler as a jack-plane, is always

present, while a piece of India-rubber to straighten gut, or even silk

and wax, is never to be found. The pockets and slips are so arranged

that the flies cannot be got at without much difficulty, or else fall

out with perfect ease, and are invariably, when released, found with the

gut so curled up that it cannot be straightened for some time. In fact,

the present style of fly-book is a disgusting monstrosity. The true plan

is to so arrange the pockets that those of one page will come opposite

the hooks on the other in such manner that there can be no entanglement;

of course the snells of the stretchers cannot be kept straightened, but

the droppers, having shorter snells, may be secured under strips of

paper, and left at full length, the alternate flies being at each

extremity of the leaf; and on the adjoining leaf in the pockets may be

similar flies dressed for stretchers. Or the droppers, all having the

gut tied, of the same length by measurement, over two pins stuck into

the table, may be secured on both sides of a separate sheet of

pasteboard upon hooks and eyes, the fly-hook being fastened into the eye

and the loop upon the hook. The latter is attached to a short piece of

elastic, and will hold the gut straight and safe. The boards thus

prepared are carried in long pockets between the leaves. The book, when

filled and ready for use, should not be too large to be carried in the

breast pocket, should be composed of stout parchment or ass skin that

will resist the effect of dampness, covered with leather or morocco, and

closed with a neat clasp.

The best implements will not make an angler, nor enable him, without

skill that can only be obtained by patience and perseverance, to perform

his duty creditably at the river-side. Especially must he learn to cast

his flies far, lightly, and accurately, for of all the angler’s

qualifications this art is the most necessary. To do this every writer

on fishing has given particular directions, but in reality no plan or

formula can be made that is not subject to great modifications; the

following, probably, is as nearly correct as any: After the line is

lifted from the water, which is done with a quick upward motion of the

wrist, the forearm is slowly and steadily raised until the line has

described the necessary curve and is extended almost directly behind the

angler, when a fresh impulse from the wrist changes the direction to a

forward one, the arm following the motion until the line has nearly

reached its limit, when it is checked by an almost imperceptible motion

of the wrist, and the flies are made to drop on the water gently and

quivering with almost the tremor of life. This is the rule when the cast

is down wind and unobstructed, and the breeze light and equable, but in

practice each cast must be adjusted to the peculiar circumstances under

which it is made; the force that will drive out the line in a heavy

breeze will not be vigorous enough if it dies down at the next cast, and

the line must be stopped short or it will not extend itself; on the

other hand, if the wind suddenly increases to a gusty flaw, the flies

will be driven into the water with a splash, unless the arm is extended

to exhaust the additional force. If the cast is across a strong wind,

the line is lifted against it and makes almost a complete circle, and if

well managed can be made to so resist it that, in the roughest weather,

it will go out its full length and fall with beautiful delicacy. In a

hard blow the difficulty will be in raising the line, and at times it

will not be found necessary to lift the flies entirely from the water

before casting, as the wind, by its pressure on the bag of the line,

will carry them out of itself. In fishing a stream there is much to be

learned in the art of jerking the flies under the bushes, and tossing

the back line directly upwards to avoid entanglements, instead of behind

the angler; proficiency should be obtained with the left hand as well as

with the right, and in right and left casts, that is to say, where the

line is raised on either side and the flies brought over either

shoulder. This last point is essential if two anglers are to fish from

the same boat, for each should invariably keep the tip of his rod over

the shoulder opposite to his neighbor.

These observations are probably all that can be placed on paper with any

advantage, for complete knowledge can only be obtained at the brook or

pond under the guidance of those skilful teachers, patience and

perseverance; and after the line has been neatly cast and the trout

lured from his lair under the bank of the stream, or his mossy bed at

the bottom of the pond, the art of striking him, that is, fixing the

hook firmly in his mouth when he has grasped it, can only be acquired by

actual experience. All written directions on this subject maybe reduced

to two--it is done with a motion of the wrist and as quickly as

possible; and yet if this art is not mastered, the rest will be in vain.

There are few matters connected with fly-fishing that have been more

discussed, and about which there has been more difference of opinion,

than the length of line that can be cast with the ordinary trout-rod.

Assertions are common, and certificates even have been given at public

contests that competitors have cast one hundred feet of line, and many

persons, especially those not thoroughly initiated, imagine that they

can readily manage seventy, eighty, or ninety. But this matter was

brought to a definite issue at the convention of the Sportsmen’s Clubs

of the State of New York, held in 1864, at the City of New York, when a

handsome prize was offered for excellence in casting the fly, and rules

were carefully prepared to govern the trial. These rules are given at

length hereafter, and provide an allowance, for length and weight of

rod, and prescribe certain distinctions as to whether the contest is

only as to distance, or as to delicacy and accuracy in addition. In the

instance referred to, it was determined that all these points were to be

included. No rod was admitted that weighed over one pound or exceeded

twelve feet and six inches in length; a gut-leader of not less than

eight feet was required, and to this three flies were to be attached.

The tackle and rods used by the competitors were, in every instance,

those that they were accustomed to use in actual fishing, the lines

being generally of plaited silk, covered with the ordinary water-proof

preparation. The water was without a current, but ruffled by the effects

of a light breeze that died away entirely ere the contest was over, and

the stand was a floating platform, level with the surface, and upon

which the waves occasionally washed so as to wet the feet of the

contestants. The distance was measured along the water by a rope

stretched taut and marked at every foot of its length with buoys;

parallel with this, and close to it, a staging was erected, on which the

spectators could stand and observe accurately the quality of every cast.

The contestants were required to use both hands, and were restricted to

five minutes’ time. The judges were three of the most experienced

fishermen of the State, one of whom is celebrated for his proficiency

in, and devotion to casting the fly.

It will be observed that several customary advantages were lost by this

disposition, or brought to an equality; there was no elevation above the

water, which is always difficult to measure, and which, of course, adds

immensely to the distance that can be covered; there was little or no

wind to add to the forward motion of the line, and no current to

straighten it out, or assist, by a slight resistance to the rod, in

recovering it, which, after all, is the main difficulty, as the line

that can be lifted and extended behind the fisherman will readily reach

its full length in front of him; and the distance cast was measured, not

along the line, which will invariably sag more or less, and may have its

length considerably augmented by an irregularity in delivery, but along

the water. Moreover, the competitors were required to make a neat as

well as long cast, lest they should be ruled out for want of delicacy,

and had to prove their thorough proficiency by dexterity with the left

hand.

The rods used were respectively of ash, with a split bamboo tip; of

cedar, with a lance-wood tip; and of split bamboo throughout; and were

all of the best workmanship and perfect representatives of their kinds;

the contestants were some of the best anglers of the State, and nothing

occurred to mar the pleasure of the contest or to disparage the

correctness of the award. The prize was won by the cedar rod, which was

twelve feet three and one-half inches long, and weighed, with heavy

mountings, fourteen ounces; and the greatest distance cast with the

right hand was sixty-three feet, although the allowance carried the

official return to sixty-eight feet; and with the left hand the absolute

distance was fifty-seven feet. The author cannot help adding that the

cedar rod was in his hands, and that the prize is now in his fire-proof

safe, as he thinks that success at such a trial and against such

competitors is legitimate ground for no little vanity.

It is reported that there was a contest of a similar nature in England;

but while the length of rod was restricted to twelve feet, there was no

allowance for weight. The contestants stood several feet above the level

of the water, and the distance reached was seventy-two feet. This,

therefore, scarcely furnishes a ground for comparison, as a rod may be

made so heavy at the top and limber in the middle as to cast a

prodigious line, but which would be utterly unwieldy at the river side;

and for every foot of elevation several feet of additional length are

gained. In public trials attention must be paid to these particulars, or

they will furnish no satisfactory test.

The writer once cast seventy-two feet with the same cedar rod that won

the prize; but this, although without the assistance of any wind, was

done from a slight elevation with the aid of a current, and was measured

by the length of line. It is undoubted, moreover, that sixty-three feet

is not the limit that can be attained where no attention is paid to

delicacy in delivering the flies, or where but one fly or none whatever

is used. The line can be cast considerably farther without a fly

attached than with it, and the length and taper of casting-line should

accord exactly with the weight and taper of line. This has to be

regulated in a measure by practice, and should be carefully determined

before a public trial is undertaken.

The author of the American Angler’s Book recommends that the largest fly

should be used as the stretcher. This is all wrong, and no one that does

so will ever deliver his flies far and neatly. It is contrary to the

principle of tapering the line, and has no advantage whatever to

recommend it. The largest fly should be the upper dropper or bob, and

the next in size the second dropper, while the stretcher should be the

smallest. Then not only will the taper be maintained, but if a trout

rises at the droppers there will be more probability of striking him.

One of the contestants at the trial above mentioned delivered his line

so delicately that the flies often could not be seen to strike the water

or make the least disturbance on its surface, although the spectators

were close to the spot where they fell. He was on a previous occasion

ruled out of a contest because the judges could not see where his flies

alighted. He is especially careful to maintain the true taper of line,

casting-line, and flies, and would scout the idea of using a cast with

its largest fly at the stretcher. This is as gross a heresy as putting a

shot in the fly-hook, which, while it may tend to break the rod, instead

of increasing will diminish the distance reached.

The author of the work referred to, although doubtless a hearty

participant in the angler’s pleasures, and fond of the free life in the

wild woods by the side of the secluded stream, shows, by his preference

for common flies and coarse tackle, that he does not appreciate the

higher development of his art in its purity; content rather to fill his

basket with a stout hackle from the well-stocked brook of the rarely

visited forest, than to tempt the dainty trout with finer imitations

from the well-fished pond of the cultivated country. Not only are large

flies, especially at the stretcher, difficult to cast, but the hackles

which he especially recommends are, from the resistance to the air

offered by their numerous bristles, by far the most difficult. It is

almost impossible with a light rod to cast a large hackle delicately to

a distance; and when three are used, it is entirely so. In clear pools

such an apparition would frighten the trout from their “feed” for a

week. But in a boisterous, roaring, foaming mountain cataract, where the

fish cannot see the fisherman at all, and find difficulty in seeing

their prey, hackles and palmers are perfection.

The foregoing match was governed by the following rules, which have been

permanently adopted by the New York Sportsmen’s Club, but the allowance

of tune is not sufficient where delicacy and distance both are to be

determined; and the better plan would be to allow each contestant first

to extend his line as far as he can, and then to restrict him to five

minutes as to the other matters at issue.

RULES OF THE NEW YORK SPORTSMEN’S CLUB, FOR CONTESTS IN FLY-CASTING.

No _Rod_ shall be allowed over twelve feet six inches in length, nor

more than one pound in weight, and it shall be used with a single hand.

A practicable _Line_ and _Click-Reel_ shall be attached to the rod.

One _Stretcher Fly_ must be used, and a _Casting-Line_ or _Leader_, of

single gut, of not less than six feet in length.

Additional _Flies_ may be added in the discretion of the contestants.

No attached _weight_ of any kind on the line or fly shall be permitted.

Allowance of distance shall be made according to the length and weight

of each rod of five feet for every foot of _length_ and two feet for

every ounce of _weight_, and at that rate for a part of a foot or ounce,

deducting for a hollow butt or the omission of the customary mountings.

Each _contestant_ shall be allowed _five minutes_ for casting, and in

case of accident, such as the parting of the fly, or entangling of the

line, the referee may once allow _additional time_, in his discretion.

No cast shall be valid unless the line be _retrieved_.

The character of the contest, whether as to _distance_, _accuracy_, or

_delicacy_, shall be stated at the time of making the terms, and, if not

so stated, shall be only as to the distance, which, if practicable,

shall be measured along the water.

In case delicacy and accuracy are to be considered, the casting shall be

done with each hand, across, against, and with the wind, in over and

under casts, and not less than three flies must be used on a leader of

at least eight feet in length.

_Salmon Fly-Casting._--The above rules shall govern, unless it shall be

distinctly agreed that the contest is to be with double-handed rods, in

which case they shall be modified as follows:

The rods shall not be over twenty feet, and the casting-line or leader

not less than ten feet in length.

Allowance of distance shall be made for length, but not for weight, and

no more than one fly shall be used in any event.

* * * * *

In addition to the imitations of the natural fly, efforts have been

continually made to use artificial representations of the other food and

baits for fish; exact and beautiful copies of grasshoppers and frogs

have been constructed, and painted of the proper color, but either from

the nature of the composition or some other cause, entirely in vain.

Indeed it is doubtful whether any fish was ever captured with such

delusions as grasshoppers, crickets, or frogs, and although they are

still retained in the shops, they no longer find a place amid the

angler’s paraphernalia. Squid and spoons are usually supposed to imitate

minnow, and have always been to a greater or less degree successful, but

the imitation fish itself has, until late years, invariably proved a

failure. With the discovery of the proper preparation of gutta-percha,

and its application to the innumerable purposes for which it is now

employed, came the suggestion that it might in various ways serve the

angler; as wading-boots and water-proof clothing, of course, but also

for bait-boxes, rods, and finally minnows. A little fish made of this

material is not only a faultless imitation of the original, and is even

curved in a way to produce the most perfect spin, but being soft to the

teeth, seems absolutely to convince the trout in spite of their palates

that it is wholesome and appropriate food. This imitation is used with

satisfactory results, not only for trout to which it is peculiarly

adapted, but also for snapping mackerel and lake-trout; it is so

admirably prepared that the eye cannot detect the deception, and it has

about the same consistency as fish itself. The back is a delicate

mottled green, changing to yellow on the sides, where there are a few

vermilion spots, while the lower part is brilliant and sparkling with

some preparation of quicksilver. There is a gang of three hooks near

the head and another at the tail, which is of tin, and the whole is

attached to double gut. A modification of the same article is made by

fastening two tin flanges at the head of the same minnow and leaving the

body straight, but by the change more is added to the weight than to its

effectiveness.

This invention is extremely light, being hollow, can be cast even with

the fly-rod, and has been known to do great execution. In its present

perfected form, it is a foreign production, but the original discovery

was American. It is especially successful with lake-trout, even more so

than with brook-trout, but is too delicate to trust in the hungry jaws

of a savage pickerel. When the snapping mackerel first appear, and

before their increasing appetites have made them as ravenous as they

subsequently become, and when they will not condescend to the leaden

squid, they will readily take this gutta-percha artificial minnow. One

of its great recommendations is its lightness; no imitation bait that

falls with a loud splash into the water can do other than terrify the

timid trout; and to make casting a pleasure, the rod must be delicate,

which cannot be if the bait is heavy. The squid is usually supposed to

be the original imitation of a minnow, and has held a prominent place

among the angler’s delusions for many years; in bass-fishing, in

trolling for blue-fish, and even for lake trout, it is worthy of all

praise. For bass, it is true, the natural squid is far more tempting,

but this queer monstrosity is difficult to obtain, and its substitute

has often captured enormous fish; for blue-fish no other bait is

ordinarily used, and for lake-trout the ivory squid can hardly be

surpassed. The ordinary kinds are of lead, pewter, bone, which are often

hollow, and admit the insertion of a large hook; and of pearl, the

latter in its most killing shape having flanges and spinning like the

minnow. For blue-fish and their young--the snapping mackerel, lead is

the favorite, while for lake-trout and pickerel, ivory is preferable,

although this rule is not invariable; and on dark days the light-colored

material will be occasionally preferred by all these varieties.

As the trolling-spoons resemble no known creature, they also are

supposed to be intended and accepted for the minnow, although it is

difficult to conceive why fish with their sharp sight, that can

distinguish an almost microscopic midge upon the surface of the water

twenty feet above their heads, should mistake a piece of revolving tin

for a living fish. The first of these contrivances were manufactured and

named from the bowl of a pewter spoon, the handle being broken off and

holes drilled in each end, so that the line and hooks could be attached;

this bait was found to revolve and glitter in the water in an attractive

way. It is now almost superseded by other modifications; but still, when

made of bright tin and painted of a dark color on the convex side, and

rather more elongated than the ordinary pattern, it is successful with

lake-trout and Mackinaw salmon. The first alteration in shape was by

fitting two flanges or wings on a long, hollow body, upon the principle

of a screw, and named after Archimedes, by which a rapid revolution was

produced; but although this invention seemed to man nearly perfect, it

did not satisfy the fish; for a very small spoon it will answer, but

when larger is not so attractive as other kinds. Several alterations and

combinations of these two plans were produced from time to time; they

proved to be merely changes and not improvements, until an invention was

made that is usually called Buel’s Patent Spoon--although it has been

said that his patent only covers the application of three hooks instead

of two, and that the invention has long been in use among the pickerel

fishermen of the St. Lawrence. The blacksmiths on the banks of that

river certainly manufacture them unrestrainedly of such material as they

prefer, but only use two hooks; and this would not probably be permitted

if the patent was broad enough to prevent it.

Be that as it may, however, it is known as Buel’s Spoon; it is made by

fastening two or three hooks back to back, and attaching a piece of tin

nearly elliptical in shape, so that it can revolve freely round a collar

at the shank. This is its simplest form, and the one preferred for

mascallonge, for which two strong thick hooks are used, firmly soldered

together; and for pickerel, black-bass, and lake-trout, it is safer to

have the hooks either soldered into one piece or attached by wire, as

the fierce struggles and sharp teeth of these species will soon destroy

thread or silk. The tin is painted of various colors, or even replaced

with brass, and should be kept well burnished on the bright side.

Feathers of gaudy colors, such as ibis, golden pheasant neck, mallard,

and wood-duck, interspersed with plain white, are often fastened along

the shank; spoons thus prepared are favorites of the black-bass, but

have no advantage for mascallonge over the bare hooks; they are also

used successfully for trout, especially those captured in salt water,

and the feathers as well as the coloring of the tin may be adapted to

the state of the weather. On clear, sunshiny days dull colors are

preferable, as with artificial flies; and in dark or rainy weather the

lightest colors answer best. Three additional hooks are sometimes added,

and allowed to dangle loosely below the others; although these

occasionally capture a fish that has missed striking the spoon fairly,

they are more frequently bitten off; they are really no advantage, and

if once imbedded in the bristling jaws of a gasping pickerel, their

extraction is both difficult and dangerous.

Of the different varieties of artificial bait, not of course including

the artificial fly, the most general and successful is Buel’s Spoon; it

is taken by all the pickerel, from the monstrous mascallonge to the tiny

native of Long Island; by the trout of lake or brook; by the black-bass

of the North and South, and by the young blue-fish of the salt water; it

is generally a greater favorite than the artificial, and sometimes even

than the natural bait; with black-bass it has no competitor but the fly,

and with sea-trout it occasionally surpasses the artificial fly itself.

Its irregularity of motion, consequent upon the mode of revolution,

seems to be its charm; and although it does not spin as well as the

Archimedes, it is infinitely more killing. It has in open water almost

supplanted the use of bait for pickerel and mascallonge, and it has been

used to a murderous extent by greedy fishermen in trolling the waters of

Moosehead Lake for trout.

COOKERY FOR SPORTSMEN.

Among all the arts and sciences that improve, elevate, or embellish

society, or that contribute to the pleasure and comfort of mankind, the

one that is the most necessary to health and happiness, has produced the

fewest great geniuses, and is the least understood, is cookery. Amid the

thousands of men and women who pretend to a knowledge of its mysteries,

how difficult is it among the former, and how impossible among the

latter, to find a good cook--one who is devoted heart and soul to the

intricate science, who passes days in pondering and nights in dreaming

of these delicate combinations that constitute pure and refined taste!

The world has produced in hundreds painters that delight the eye,

composers that enrapture the ear, scholars that convince the intellect,

poets that touch the heart; but of culinary artists that enchant the

stomach, the truly great may be counted on the fingers. In ancient times

more attention was paid to gastrology, but the degraded taste that could

employ an emetic to enable the repetition of indulgence, and the limited

resources of restricted national intercourse, have left us little of

value to be gleaned for the experience of antiquity. The great masters

of the kitchen of those times have passed away into oblivion, or have

left only a few crude dishes, remarkable more for their extravagance

than their excellence. It was a deficiency of knowledge and high art

that drove the gourmands of early days to peacocks’ brains,

nightingales’ tongues, and dissolved jewels.

The middle ages have left us some right royal dishes; the boar’s head,

the roasted ox, the black pudding, mince-pies, the plum-pudding;

remarkable, however, more for their substantial character that satisfied

a vigorous appetite, than for delicacy that would gratify an educated

taste. During this period, however, many drinks attained a perfection

that has never been improved on, and those delicious combinations that

were called cardinal, bishop, punch, and the hearty sack, are almost as

well known and as great favorites now as then. There is nothing to be

drawn from the dark ages in the least elevating to the science of

gastronomy, and we must look to modern times, and mainly to the French

nation, for our highest authorities and truest instruction.

Catherine de Medicis introduced the art of cookery into France, and

liqueurs were invented during the reign of Louis XIV., since which time

the revered names of Vatel, Soyer, Ude, Kitchiner, Bechamel, and Carmel

have become household words throughout Christendom; their skill has shed

a benign influence over mankind, has restored invalids to health, and

brought peace to families; they are quoted and looked upon with deep

respect by all. Coarse minds, to whom the allurements of gastronomy are

incomprehensible, consider cooking vulgar; while a few pitiable

individuals are created without the sense to distinguish the tasty from

the tasteless, as there are persons without an eye for the beauties of

nature or an ear for the harmony of sounds. These unfortunates deserve

our sympathy; but for the individual who affects to despise the

pleasures of the table, as loftily placing himself above what he terms

grovelling appetites, nothing is appropriate but contempt. Who would

believe or respect the man who claimed that his inability to distinguish

green from red was a credit to him? Or could tolerate one who was filled

with ostentatious pride because, by a wretched malformation, he could

not tell Old Hundred from _Casta Diva_?

The sense of taste is as noble, and as capable of education and

improvement, as the art of the painter or the musician. The stomach

being the governor, master, and director of the body, when it is pleased

the intellect works with force, the eye and ear are in full play, and

the nerves and muscles tingle with animation; when it is sick or

exhausted the eye grows dull, the intellect feeble, the ear inaccurate,

and the whole body drooping and spiritless. It has its ramifications in

every part of the system, and controls as inferiors the other organs. An

ill-cooked dinner has lost many a battle, ruined many an individual, and

disgraced many a genius; it is said that an indigestible _ragout_ cost

Napoleon his crown.

Life is dear to all, and yet persons are continually committing a

disagreeable and prolonged suicide, accompanied with painful

indigestions and untold sufferings, by attempting to despise the rules

that the imperative stomach has laid down. Under certain well-known

chemical laws, food is rendered both digestible and palatable by special

modes of preparation, and indigestible and unpalatable by other modes.

The same piece of meat that, fried, will resemble shoe-leather, and

afford neither pleasure nor sustenance, if nicely broiled would prove

agreeable to the palate and wholesome to the body.

Our country is overflowing with abundance of the raw material from which

good dinners are made; but we are absolutely without cooks, and the

average American life is shortened one-tenth by the miserable ignorance

of the rules of cookery that pervades all classes. The farmer bolts his

heavy griddle cakes and tasteless fried meats; while the wealthy citizen

devours rich gravies and ill-prepared compounds. The former loses his

teeth, the latter incurs the thousand horrors of dyspepsia, and both

shorten their lives.

But to rise above the unimportant consideration of mere life, which is

held in our land at its true value, and regarding cookery from a loftier

point of view, is there not something noble in the art that moulds

together the various subjects of taste, and builds up an exquisite,

soul-thrilling composition? Is not that man worthy of our deepest

admiration, who, not only from the wealth of materials prepares the

perfection of luxury, but when reduced to the simplest articles, still

manages to gratify the most delicate and exacting of our organs? Who has

not felt his heart expand as he surveyed a royal feast; his affections

become purified, his feelings elevated, as dish followed dish, and each

proved itself worthy of the other; and at last has not taken a gentler

view of human kind when contentment filled his soul? A good dinner

encourages generosity, begets sympathy, increases geniality, while it

strengthens the intellect and the nerves; a bad dinner produces

ill-nature, leads to discontent and quarrelling, dulls the mind, and

injures the body. The former aids Christianity and promotes virtue; the

latter is the bold accomplice of vice and crime; evil humors cannot

exist in the body without spreading to the mind, and vices in the former

create vices in the latter. Controlled by that complacency which is the

stomach’s return for kind treatment, the evil passions sleep, and fading

gradually, lose half their strength; whereas, if aggravated by perpetual

dissatisfaction and uneasiness, they become daily more violent, till

they disdain command and burst forth in unrestrained fury. So that the

soul, even, may be endangered by bad cookery. The civilization and power

of nations advance in proportion to their improvement in their cuisine,

and the reformation is said to be due to the strong Teutonic impatience

of fast days. A coarse taste in eating is as sure an indication of

coarseness in mind and habits, as delicacy of taste is of delicacy and

refinement in other particulars. As the more vulgar desires are

controlled by the higher impulses of the mind, and clean hands are

often the index of a clean heart, so purity of appetite usually

accompanies purity of soul. Nothing condemns the vulgar man more quickly

than the nature of his appetite, and his mode of gratifying it; driven

on like the beasts by hunger, he thinks only of the readiest and

quickest mode of satisfying the unpleasant craving, and never dreams

there can be anything intellectual in a dinner. The Americans, as a

nation, are ignorant of the first principles of dining; in private, they

ruin their digestions; in public, they disgust their fellows. With that

practical turn for which they are famous as a body, they devote

themselves to what is profitable; and the arts of sculpture, painting,

and gastronomy are just beginning to be appreciated.

Those huge dishes that delight hungry, vulgar John Bull, such as roast

beef, boiled mutton, and the like, still meet with the approbation of

the active American; and while our women, with their natural elegance,

draw their fashions from France, our matter-of-fact men imitate the rude

cookery of England. It is a melancholy truth that there is no place in

America where a dinner can be obtained; feeding-places, miscalled

restaurants after those priceless legacies of the French revolution, are

innumerable; but even the famous Delmonico fails to appreciate that

wonderful production, the pride of our land--none of the miserable

little coppery European abominations, but the great American

oyster--does not understand it, and never rises to a proper

comprehension of its capabilities, and consequently never serves a

perfect dinner.

So must it be while ignorant Irish cooks--whose only claim to the title

consists in having spoiled thousands of potatoes, in having rarely seen,

and never cooked, a piece of meat, and only dreamed of coffee--possess

our kitchens and rule the roast; and as it is impossible for the master

of the house, and would be unladylike in the mistress, to superintend

the dinner, the only spot for truly scientific cookery is in the woods.

There, under the blue vault of heaven, where the shade of some friendly

tree tempers the combined heat of sun and fire, accompanied only by the

interested and appreciative guides, with the hot wood fire rapidly

forming its pile of glowing coals, can the contemplative man, tempted by

appetite and opportunity, devote himself to the higher branches of

epicurism. Not that the materials are plentiful, rich, or costly, but

working up from the very plainness of his fare a more gratifying

compound. With that bed of coals suggesting broiling, and that dancing,

smokeless blaze inviting roasting, no intelligent being would think of

frying meat.

Under such circumstances, the larder being necessarily limited, and

repetition threatening to breed disgust, ingenuity is sharpened and

exercised to produce variety; an accurate knowledge of the power of

different sauces is obtained, and new modes of dressing simple articles

invented. It is to lead the mind of the reader in this direction, and

not with the hope of instructing Irish cooks, or educating American

taste, that this short article on cookery is written; and if the life in

the woods, or on the water, of our sportsmen shall be in a degree

improved by the effort, the main object will be attained.

The materials generally at the disposal of the hunter or fisherman on

the coast and in the woods consist of fish, oysters, clams, ducks, game

birds, and venison; while he will carry of necessity pork, ship-biscuit,

salt, and pepper, and, if possible, eggs, flour, sauces, Indian-meal,

and as many of the minor aids of a good _cuisine_ as his means of

transportation will admit.

No attempt will be made to confuse the reader with complicated

directions for the construction of highly seasoned and strangely named

French dishes, but the simplest and readiest mode of cooking each

article will be given, with instructions in varying the effect. If the

enthusiasm inherent in the subject shall occasionally carry the writer

away and lead him to indulge in what the reader--living on hard tack and

salt pork--may regard as vain imaginings, the weakness of man in the

contemplation of so vast a subject must be the excuse; and the disciple

need undertake nothing for which he has not the materials.

One of the great deficiencies, although partially supplied by the

solidified article, is milk, which cannot be kept in its natural state,

and is badly represented by its substitute. Generally, however, water

will answer in its stead, and for gravies or thickening for stews, a

little flour mixed with a lump of butter, and dissolved in a cupful of

tepid water, is an excellent equivalent.

OYSTER STEW.

The American oyster, to the thoughtful mind, presents itself almost as

an object of veneration, and would among barbarous nations have altars

raised to its honor; to the practical mind it is a mine of luxury, a

very Golconda of epicurean wealth; raw broiled, baked, roasted, fried,

stewed, or scolloped, it is the tit-bit of perfection, and in every mode

may be varied extensively; it takes all flavors, and is delicious

without any; it is improved by all sauces, and needs none. It accords

with every other dish, or makes a dinner alone. The subject has never

been half explored, much less exhausted.

A stew may be made with crackers or flour, with celery, cheese, or milk,

and with or without sauces; but in every instance the juice must be

separated from the oysters and well cooked before the latter are added,

or they will be over-done, shrivelled, and ruined. The simplest mode is

to put some pepper, salt, and butter in the juice, boil it five minutes,

add the oysters, and cook for one minute longer.

Or you may add to the juice crackers pounded fine and rolled in butter,

and some celery chopped fine, or a little cheese and Worcestershire or

Harvey sauce; or you may put a table-spoonful of flour and as much

butter in a cup, and having rubbed them together and added a little of

the warm juice, may mix this slowly with the rest. This must all be

done before the oysters are added; and where flour is used, care must be

taken to mix it first with a small quantity of fluid, or it will lump. A

dry stew, which is preferred by many, is made by cooking the oysters,

from which the liquor has been carefully strained, in butter, salt,

pepper, and sauce.

FRIED OYSTERS.

Dry each oyster separately on a towel; dip them in the yolk of eggs

beaten up, and then in pounded crackers that have been seasoned with

salt and pepper; heat butter or pork drippings in the frying-pan, and

cook the oysters over a slow fire, turning them frequently. Do not use

too much butter or drippings, but add fresh as required, so as to leave

the oysters dry when done. A clean tin pan is the best, and red pepper

preferable to black. Lard is detestable for frying anything, and salad

oil is perfection. If black pepper is ever used, it should be purchased

whole and ground by hand, as the fine pepper is generally adulterated

and flavorless.

ROASTED OYSTERS.

To roast an oyster, it is simply put on the fire till it opens, when the

shell is forced off, and it is eaten from a hot, concave shell, in which

butter has been melted with vinegar, salt, and pepper; or it may be

taken out when half done, and cooked in a pan with its own liquor, salt,

pepper, and a little butter.

BROILED OYSTERS.

Are prepared as for frying, then dipped in melted butter, placed in a

double gridiron, and cooked over live coals.

SCOLLOPED OYSTERS.

Are placed in a deep dish with butter and bread-crumbs, or pounded

crackers well seasoned and baked.

CLAM-BAKE.

The only proper mode of baking clams was discovered by the aborigines,

and was invariably practised by them on their yearly visitations to the

sea; the clams are placed on a flat rock side by side, with their sharp

edges down and the valves up, and when so arranged in sufficient

numbers, are kept in their places by a surrounding circle of stones. A

large fire is built over them and allowed to burn for about twenty

minutes, when it is cleared away and the clams are extracted from the

ashes, overflowing with juiciness and steaming with aroma. Burnt fingers

and lips add to the pleasures of an Indian clam-bake. The best sauce is

pepper-vinegar.

CLAM OR FISH-CHOWDER.

Pork, potatoes, butter, crackers, sauce, salt, pepper, vegetables, and

meat, if any can be had, clams or fish, or both, are covered with water,

placed in a close vessel, and stewed slowly till patience is exhausted,

appetite insists upon indulgence, or the mess threatens to burn. The

large articles are cut in pieces of an inch square or thereabouts, and

may be highly seasoned.

STEWED CLAMS, OR CLAM SOUP.

Hard clams are not fit to eat, stew them as you will. Soft clams, after

the tough parts are removed, are excellent stewed with a little butter,

or butter rolled in flour, as directed for oysters; but being richer

than oysters, they do not need so many additions. The soup is made by

thinning the juice before it boils with milk, which will curdle if

thrown into the boiling liquid. Hard clams make a good soup if they are

cut fine and not eaten.

FRIED OR BROILED CLAMS.

Soft clams may be prepared as directed for oysters, the tough parts

being first removed.

SCRAMBLED EGGS.

Eggs are broken one by one in a cup to make sure they are fresh, and

then thrown into a pan with a lump of butter, some salt and pepper, and

stirred carefully, so as not to break the yolks immediately, over a slow

fire till the whole is almost hard. They had better be too soft than too

firm.

POACHED EGGS.

Are broken into a cup and poured one by one carefully into hot water,

and when done are ladled out on a flat, broad stick or spoon, so as to

let the water drain off.

FRIED EGGS.

Fried eggs are broken one at a time into a cup, and poured into hot

grease.

OMELETTE.

Eggs are broken into milk, thickened with a moderate quantity of flour,

salt, and pepper, which is beaten up and fried with butter; parsley,

ham, or bacon may be added, cut fine.

SMOKED BEEF.

May be fried in grease with a little pepper, or may be stewed in milk. A

little flour rubbed with butter in a cup, and mixed with some of the

warm gravy, may be added.

BOILED FISH.

There are two modes of boiling fish; one recommended by Sir Humphrey

Davy, and the other by the great Soyer. By the former, the fish cut into

pieces is thrown into boiling salt and water, one piece at a time, and

the largest first; by the latter it is placed in cold water, heated

slowly, and allowed to simmer by the fire. The former, in his

_Salmonia_, page 120, quotes chemistry to show that by the excessive

heat the curd is coagulated at once and preserved; the latter refers to

his unequalled reputation. I have generally pursued the former course as

the more rapid; the water must be allowed to recover its heat after each

piece is thrown in, so that it may be always intensely hot; about

fifteen minutes of hard boiling will be required, but the only reliable

plan is to examine and try the fish with a fork from time to time, as it

is ruined if cooked too long, and uneatable if not cooked enough.

In Soyer’s receipt the fish is placed in cold water that contains a

pound of salt to every six quarts, which is then heated to the boiling

point and allowed to simmer for half an hour if the fish weighs four

pounds, for three-quarters if it weighs eight pounds, and so on.

Of course, a fish must be scaled ere it is cooked, and should be

cleaned, although if it is cooked whole and the party is hurried, the

latter process may be omitted without injury; the entrails, however, are

not to be eaten.

A little of the liquor in which the fish has been boiled, with Harvey or

Anchovy sauce, or Chili vinegar, makes an excellent dressing; but the

best sauce is obtained by dissolving a spoonful of flour, that has been

thoroughly mixed with a lump of butter, in a little warm water, and

boiling the whole for a few minutes. This may be prepared in any tin

pot, and, cooked with chopped parsley, is the making of boiled fish.

FRIED FISH.

The fish, which should be small, after being cleaned and scaled, are

dipped in water and then in Indian-meal, and fried, well seasoned with

pepper, in the pan with pork drippings or butter. If the latter is used,

salt must be added. Trout are excellent prepared in this manner.

BROILED FISH.

Fish for broiling may be larger than for frying; they are scaled, split

open down the back, and well seasoned. They are placed on the gridiron

and approached for a few moments close to the fire, so as to sear the

pores. They are then cooked more slowly and well basted with butter,

unless a piece of thin pork is laid across them, the grease from which

will answer the place of basting. A favorite way to cook a shad or

blue-fish alongshore is to split him entirely in two, and tacking the

halves, seasoned and buttered, to shingles, to roast them rapidly; each

man eats from his own hot shingle.

BAKED FISH.

Small fish or pieces of fish, cleaned, scaled, and seasoned, may be

rolled in oiled paper and baked in the ashes; or a whole fish unsealed,

but cleaned and wiped dry, may be rolled in damp leaves and buried deep

in hot ashes. When it is done, the skin and scales will come off

together.

STEWED FISH.

Cold fish may be cut up into small pieces, seasoned and stewed in water,

with a little salt pork. If milk is substituted for water, the dish will

be more palatable.

LOBSTERS.

Must be boiled when alive till they turn red. For a dressing the yolk of

a raw egg is beaten up, with a tea-cupful of salad oil poured in very

slowly till it is firm; a tea-spoonful of mustard, a little salt,

pepper, and vinegar are added and beaten together, after which more oil

may be added, if necessary. The meat is picked from the shell, cut up

fine, and mixed with a few spoonfuls of vinegar; the dressing is then

poured over it.

Or the dressing may be omitted, and the meat cut into pieces may be

warmed up in milk and butter, with pepper and salt, and served hot.

POTATOES.

Are usually boiled by being thrown, after they have been washed, into an

iron pot filled with cold water and a little salt, placed on the fire

till the water boils, and allowed to cook till they are done, which is

ascertained by puncturing them with a fork. The water is then poured

off, and they are allowed to steam near the fire for a few minutes.

When cold they may be cut up and fried in grease, or mashed and stewed

in milk, or mixed with small pieces of salt pork or meat, and made into

a species of hash; in either case they must be well seasoned, and are

improved by the addition of onions.

The best way to fry them is to slit thin pieces from the raw potatoes,

and letting them drop into cold water, leave them for a few minutes.

When taken out and fried in butter, they will be crisp and fresh.

Potatoes are tender and mealy if simply baked in hot ashes, which can be

done by burying them under the fire until they become soft.

BOILED MEATS.

Meats are placed in cold water with a little salt, and boiled slowly,

the scum that rises being removed from time to time.

FRIED PORK OR BACON.

Pork is cut into thin slices and freshened by being heated in the

frying-pan with a little water. It is fried without any addition

whatever, and the grease fried out of it is saved for cooking other

articles. It can be breaded by being dipped first in cold water, and

then in crumbs or Indian-meal, and fried crisp.

The same directions apply to bacon, and both should be cut exceedingly

thin.

STEWED, BAKED, AND BROILED MEATS.

Meat may be stewed, baked, and broiled, much as has been heretofore

directed for fish. In stewing, the great point is to proceed slowly, and

in broiling to close the pores by burning the outside slightly on the

start; and the next point is to season sufficiently, as both pepper and

salt lose their strength in the presence of heat.

SOUPS.

Are made by boiling a fish or a piece of meat very slowly; if salt meat

is used, it must have been boiled previously in a different water;

remove the scum till no more rises, add any vegetables, and boil till

done. Use a quart of water to every pound of meat, and keep the pot

well covered. Rapid boiling throws off the volatile portions of the meat

in steam.

ROAST DUCK.

Dip a duck or other large bird, neither cleaned nor picked, in water so

as to wet the feathers, and throw him on the fire or into the hot coals.

When the feathers are pretty well singed, he is done, and the skin,

feathers, and dirt may be peeled off together. A duck needs little more

than a thorough heating. Small birds may be rolled in oiled paper and

roasted in the ashes, or a bird picked and cleaned may be suspended by a

string near the fire, and made to revolve by twisting it up

occasionally.

BEANS.

Should be soaked over night, and then well boiled.

RICE.

A cupful of rice is thrown with a pinch of salt into enough boiling

water to cover it well, and boiled for fifteen minutes. It must be soft,

but the grains should be separate. The water is poured off, and it is

dished up hot.

GRAVY.

White gravy is made as already directed for fish. For brown gravy, a

little flour is heated in a frying-pan, and stirred till it is brown. It

can be kept in a bottle, and is added in small quantities to thicken the

juice of meat or soups.

TOUGH MEAT.

Scalding vinegar may be poured over tough meat, which is left to stand

over night; next day the meat is to be cut into small pieces and stewed

with seasoning, and a few slices of potatoe and carrot.

VEGETABLES.

Must be placed in boiling water with a pinch of salt, and are done when

they sink; they must be taken up immediately.

WATER SOUCHY.

Is made by stewing fish cut into small pieces with chopped parsley and

onions, and some pepper and salt. It may be poured over toast and

thickened with flour and butter.

POTTED FISH.

Small fish, cleaned and seasoned, and placed with a little mace in a pot

lined with paper, are covered with melted butter, pressed down, and

baked four hours with a weight on them.

BOILED SALMON.

Bleed the fish the moment it is taken by cutting its gills, and across

its sides, in a slanting direction at every two inches. Hold it by the

tail for a few minutes in the stream, moving it so as to encourage the

flow of blood. Put the pot, filled with cold spring water, on a brave

fire, so that it may heat while you are cleaning and scaling the fish.

Divide into slices through the backbone, where the slashes have already

been made. When the water boils, add a large bowlful of salt, and when

it has recovered its heat and is screeching hot, throw in the pieces of

salmon, the largest first, allowing the water to recover its temperature

after each. For fish under nine pounds, allow ten minutes, and one

minute more for every additional pound. Serve with a little of the brine

strengthened with anchovy sauce, or make a white gravy of flour and

butter, as heretofore directed. Save the brine for future use.

TROUT ON FIRST PRINCIPLES.

Catch your trout, put a pinch of salt in his mouth, roll him up in a few

folds of newspaper, dip the swaddled darling in the water, light a fire,

and place him in the embers. When the paper chars, take him out and eat

him at once, rejecting the entrails.

KIPPERED SALMON.

Divide the fish down the back and remove the bone; rub him with equal

quantities of sugar and salt, and a little pepper; dry him in the sun or

smoke. Cut into thin streaks, and broiled, he will be found good and

appetizing.

DANIEL WEBSTER’S CHOWDER.

Four table-spoonfuls of onions fried with pork.

One quart of boiled potatoes well mashed.

One and one-half pounds of ship-biscuit broken.

One tea-spoonful of thyme.

One tea-spoonful of summer savory.

One half bottle of mushroom catsup.

One bottle of port or claret.

One-half nutmeg grated.

A few cloves, mace, allspice, and slices of lemon, and some black

pepper.

Six pounds of sea-bass or cod, cut in slices.

Twenty-five oysters.

The whole to be put in a pot, covered with an inch of water, cooked

slowly and stirred gently.

LIVER.

Pieces of deer-liver may be impaled on a red cedar skewer, with a slice

of pork on top, and set up round a fire, near enough to cook slowly; the

pork will melt and baste the rest.

GRIDDLE CAKES.

Are made by thickening flour with milk or water, and adding an egg or

two, together with a pinch of salt. They are poured in ladlefuls on a

hot griddle or frying-pan that has been well greased. Rice that has been

boiled and left over, or corn-meal that has been scalded, may be mixed

with the other articles, and makes rice or Indian cakes.

CORN BREAD.

Two cups of Indian meal and one cup of wheat flour are mixed with two

tea-spoonfuls of cream of tartar, to which is added one pint of sour

milk or of sweet milk in which one tea-spoonful of soda has been

dissolved, beaten up with two eggs. The whole is to be baked one hour.

Cream of tartar is always to be mixed with the flour, and soda with the

milk, so that when these are subsequently brought in contact, gas is

evolved and the bread is rendered light.

SCOTT’S CHOWDER.

The following recipe was furnished by Mr. Genio C. Scott to the New York

_Spirit of the Times_, and is doubtless equal to the reputation of the

author:--

“The old-fashioned iron pot is the best to make it in, but in lieu of it

a copper-bottomed saucepan, as deep as it is wide, will answer. First

take your fish--almost any kind will answer--but cod and sea-bass are

the best; clean and scale your fish, and cut them into pieces two inches

square; parboil a few onions; peel a few potatoes and quarter them; cut

up some salt pork into the thinnest possible slices, and cover the

bottom and sides of your pot with it to prevent your chowder from

burning; place upon the pork a layer of fish, and season it with salt

and a little black pepper. (Since I read ‘My Peninsular Medal,’ I have

been very chary of black pepper, for that authority states that it

inflames the stomach without stimulating it, while the cayenne pepper

stimulates without inflaming; but a dash of black pepper is useful for

its fragrance.) Next, a layer of the parboiled onions quartered; next, a

layer of potatoes, and season the layers; next, a layer of ripe tomatoes

sliced and seasoned (tomato requires more salt than other vegetables);

next, a layer of cracked sea-biscuit; next, a layer of fish; then

sprinkle this layer with infinitesimal pieces of salt pork, but

sparingly; then your layers of onions, potatoes, tomatoes, and

sea-biscuit, with proper seasonings of each layer; pour water enough to

cover the contents of the pot, but no more; cover the pot and place it

on a slow fire where it will simmer or boil slowly for an hour and a

half; a half hour before dishing the chowder, pour upon it a bottle of

Burgundy or claret.

“In seasoning the different layers of the chowder, tomato catsup will

answer where ripe tomatoes cannot be had. Sauces are also introduced

sometimes, and in case the party has been used to highly-seasoned food,

either Soyer, Harvey, or Worcestershire sauces may be used sparingly.

Many prefer to season with a greater variety of spices and condiments. I

often season with allspice; but camp chowder should be simple, and

composed of edibles easily obtainable. Clam chowder is made in the same

manner.”

FISH-HOUSE PUNCH.

One-quarter of a pint of lemon juice, one-quarter of a pound of white

sugar, and two pints and a half of water. One-quarter of a pint of peach

brandy; the same of Jamaica rum, and a half pint of cognac; the three

latter ingredients mixed separately.

PINEAPPLE PUNCH.

One slice of pineapple which has stood a day covered with sugar, two

bottles of port, one bottle of champagne, and plenty of ice.

PORTO RICO PUNCH.

Black tea and Porto Rico rum, mixed half and half, and sufficient sugar,

lemon-peel, and ice.

NONDESCRIPT PUNCH.

One bottle of claret, three-fourths of a tumbler of brandy, a claret

glass of Jamaica rum, one bottle of champagne, ice and sugar.

ARRACK PUNCH.

Eight tumblers of Jamaica rum, one and a half of arrack, and one of

lemon juice, which together with the rind of three lemons, is to be

allowed to stand for ten minutes, when sugar is to be added, and water

to twice the amount of the liquor.

CHAMPAGNE PUNCH.

One bottle of brandy, one of Jamaica rum, and one of arrack; three and a

half pounds of sugar, but no water, four lemons and twelve oranges cut

in slices, a large lump of ice. Add champagne to suit the taste

immediately before drinking.

REGAL PUNCH.

Peel twenty-four lemons; steep the rinds for twelve hours in two quarts

of Jamaica rum. Squeeze the lemons on three and a half pounds of loaf

sugar; add two quarts of dark brandy and six quarts of water. Mix all

together; add two quarts of boiled milk, stir until the mixture curdles,

strain it through a jelly-bag until clear; bottle and cork.

This I have not tried, but give it on good authority.

FRANK FORESTER’S PUNCH.

The rind of a dozen lemons, two tumblerfuls of finely powdered sugar,

three pints of pale cognac, two quarts of cold, strong, green tea,

strained clear, two flasks of Curaçao, abundance of ice, and a half

dozen of champagne. This is an admirable liquor, even without the

champagne.

VENISON STEW.

Make a sauce by melting a lump of butter with two mustard-spoonfuls of

mustard, two table-spoonfuls of mushroom catsup, and one of sauce, mango

sauce being the best; add the juice of half a lemon, one wine glass of

sherry, and one of claret. Heat the mixture as hot as possible, and rub

in two table-spoonfuls of currant jelly till the whole is perfectly

smooth; then take the venison cut in steaks, and previously either

roasted or broiled, and warm it thoroughly in the sauce to which the

juice of the meat, if any, has been added. Cold meat is redeemed by this

process.

* * * * *

And now my friends, if you are ever fortunate enough to have the

Superior Fishing I have described, or if the author’s good-will may

avail even better, and, after the delight and triumph of success, the

well-earned prize is brought up properly upon the table, either in the

rough woods or the elegant dining-room, and is flanked by such

appropriate dishes as circumstances permit, and laid to rest in the

best liquor that can be obtained; then your mind, filled with present

complacency, must travel back over these pages, and forgetting the

faults and pardoning the errors, acknowledge that if in them you have

not found an instructor, you have found a brother sportsman; and, for

the sake of the bond that binds all members of the gentle craft

together, if you cannot conscientiously praise the manner or the matter

of these pages, you will utter no word to discourage an effort that,

while pointing out and dwelling upon the beauties of nature in our

wonderful country, and the pure attractions it offers to the lovers of

our art, has principally been to maintain the healthy and ennobling

nature of field-sports; to urge the protection, at proper seasons, of

the game that still lingers in our woods and waters; and to elevate to a

proud standard of honorable, generous, and merciful rivalry the

sportsmanship of America.

THE END.

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End of Project Gutenberg's Superior Fishing, by Robert Barnwell Roosevelt