The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-07-23
GIANT TROUT.
Why They Have Disappeared from the
Lakes and Streams of New York.

Why They Have Disappeared from the
Lakes and Streams of New York.
Fifty years ago the largest brook
trout ever known were found in White
Lake, Sullivan County. This lake. like
most of the mountain lakes of this
region. has no inlet, but the water comes
up from the earth through sand of
snowy whiteness. 1t is simply an
enormous spring, covering an, area of
several miles, and is nearly 100 feet in
depth. At the depth of fifty feet the
bottom is distinctly visible on clear
dav so transparent is the water. The
outlet of the lake is one of the most
romantic streams in the State. Here,
as late as 1850, splendid specimens. of
brook trout were occasionally captured.
but the pickerel and black bass that had
been unfortunately introduced into the
lake some years before had almost ac-
complished the work OF destruction,
which is now complete. Up to 1915 q
fOur-p0und trout was not an uncommon
tribute to the skill of the angler on
White Lake. The largest trout ever
caught in the lake of which there is any
record was captured in 1913 by one
Lewis Piatt 1t weighed within frac-
ton of nine pounds. In 1910 the late
Otto Gilpin hooked and sue
ceeded in landing a trout in the
narrows of White Lake. which
weighed seven pounds. Charles Fenno
HOLMAN, the unfortunate, captured Il
six-pounder on one of his many eXcur-
sions to the lake. A gentleman named
Belknap. of Newburg, secured the prize
of a seven-and-a-half-pound trout in
White Lake in 1912. These were cap
tured, too, after pickerel had been in
trOduced into the lake. The pickerel,
or more properly speaking, the pike, Is
an importation into all the waters in
which he is found in this region. Sixty
years ago an Indian came from some
remnant OF his tribe that had remained
in Sussex County, n. j., after the
Revolution. By the persistence and
singular skill characteristic of his tribe
he carried with him a water-tight vessel
made of bark. in which he brought six
small pickerel. They were all that
were left of thirty fry with which he
had started These six pickerel he
turned into CulveF'S Pond, in Sussex
County, where they rapidly increased
and made the pond famous as pick
erel fishing resort That venture of the
Indians was the beginning of the end
of the trout dynasty in the Delaware
Valley mountain lakes. Antagonism
of races among fish had not come to be
a matter of popular knowledge in those
davs, and when the stocking of other
lakes with pickerel Mpm Culver's Pond
was begun it was done without the
slightest thought that the new fish
was The deadly enenay of all weaker
piscatorial families. In 1888 johnson
Brink transported q number of pickerel
from Culver's pond to Big Brink Pond,
in Pike County, Pa. and in time all ne
charming lakes In that and the adjoining
counties were supplied with these pisea-
torial cannibals. In few ysars, the
people saw their mistake. for the trout
generally disappeared from the waters.
but it was then too late to apply Lem-
edy, for the pickeFel had come to, stay.
and stay Inc has From Brink Pond
pickerei were put in White Lake n.l835.
| Not satisfied with the Introduction of
this, waterwolf, John B. Findlay. then a
prominent man in Sullivan, County,
hired an Indian to fetch 4 number of
black bass from one of the Northern
New York lakes. and these wese turned
into that magnificent home of the
bespangied trout. With these two
ravenous marauders--she pike and the
black bass-engaged In relentless war
on them, the royal race Of trout disap-
peared before them asrapidly and COM
pletely as the Monteznmas passed away
before the hordes Of Spain. Now and
then, at long intervals, some lncky
angler intrudes his bait into the secure
haunt where some lone remnant Of the
race has made his hermitage, and the
old recluse becomes a nine days Won
der, but tie days when his sovereign
line ruled fight royalty these domains
of crystal water are but memory and
a name>-Port Jerris IN. ~ Cor. N. o.
Times.