Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-11-27

Beauties of the Finny Tribe-How They
 Captured snapping Turtles.
 A well to do fisherman who was satu- rated with the angling craze built n few years ago on n lake not many miles from this city palatial mansion with all the appointments that wealth could devise or support, but his hobby of fishing cropped out when building the rear end of his house, which was placed on piles and pro jectcd some 90 feet over the lake. Hcrc, on his back porch, this old angler fishcd from morn to night until his lines wcrc cast on the waters of Lcthc. Had this man lived in the city of New York so years ago Inc would have found more than one dwell ing built to his liking and so constructed that his hobby of fishing could have had full sway without spending n penny for its indulgence. The old knickcrbockcrs had daily fishing bouts at their back gates and fruitful ones they always turned out to be
 A section of this city which is now a great manufacturing and distributing cen ter was in 1915 covered by n largo pond, extending from Pearl street on tho south to Canal street on the north, and the pres ent Center street passes from north to south through the center of the old site of this pond. It was called Collect pond, and its outlet ran into the North river by way of what is now known as Canal street. Near its mouth and running southwest a branch of the outlet made its way into the North river, forming the eastern boundary of n large tract of salt meadows. The river side of these meadows gave, on the incom- ing tide, great sport tO the old timers who went a-lshing for wCakfish, striped bass and white perch as they came in to feed on the low lying flats when covered by the flood tide, which. in the spring. ovcrilowcd tho meadows and CamC nearly upto Broad way.
 The water of Collect pond was fresh, it being fed from springs. Perch. suniish. cells md catfish, all of large size and of delicious flavor. lived in its waters, and prolific wCrc the catches made by the old KnickcrbOckcrs with their primitive tac- klc, which usually consisted of n rCCd pale | about ten feet long, homemade limo of brown linen thread, Limerick hooks-nu others wcrc used in America at that timC -a small piCCC of lead ns sinkcr and n box of garden worms. With such tackle and tho muscular overhead jerk of tho victim it was not unusual to make n scOrc of 51 | to 50 fish in q few hours.
 There was another large pond, called | Suniish pond. existing some s5 years ago | on n site now embraced in the arCa cOvCrcd | by Twcnty-fifth and Twcntysixth streets and Fourth and Fifth avenues. It covered | about three aCrCs and had neither outlet nor inlet. being fed from bottom springs | of very cold water IL contained the same | species of fish lived in Collect pond. with the addition of crCat numbers of | snapping turtles. which wCrC CrCCdily fishCd for hy the old timers. As their method of catching suappCrs was unique | and doubtless would hC found today to hC | alluring to thC>c delicious frCsh water tur- ties, 1t Is worth while to make a note Us | the manner in which thCy wCrC Capturrd. | The old kuickcrhuCkCr would shell. with l linen thread Iu the end of q piece of cop. | per wire. IU tO l2 inches long. a medium | sized hook, being CarCful iO wax the thread | with shOCmakCr's wax. The other end ot | the wirc was then ls'ut tO form an eve to | which was tied u strong line. The hook | was then baitCd with q young frOg, the | line tied to a stake on the ctlsc of the pond | and tho frog east into tho water. This ! was very effective layout line. n tho
 frog would live for several days Our
 gOssipy and interesting informant, who | lived in those old days, does not. however, 1 tell Us how the fC~tiy" frog Was kept in 1 the water. II the EltraCiuu of those days was up to smut, like the fin de siCClc l species of the present Cra, the fisherman | would often lind when he went To take up his catch the knowing amphibiun sitting
 
 on the stake to which the line was tied.
 The cream of the angling outings of the
 old residents Was had on the bTaCkiSh
 tidal waters of the East river and the
 most frcquCntCd fishing grounds extended
 over n district now represented as bCiug
 opposite Fifth str,Vt north to Twenty.
 fourth street and Bandamuia point. The
 river end of tho last named strCCt was the
 most fruitful Here with headquarters
 at the old Nanrast tavern. the anglers of
 So years ago would gather. and, unlike
 their modern CungCnCrS, had no cause tu
 make exaggerated statements as tO scores
 and weight of fish caught. The latter
 were abundant, consisting of wCakiish,
 founders. striped bass. kingllsh, hlaCktish
 and sea bass. \ struggling striped bass | is nll that is left tO remind Us of the hnr-
 vest days of the old anglers, and sca bass
 and wcakfish arr never taken now in the
 East river kingiish, now almost CNtCr. | minated in u water ara Of jO miles around
 this city, actually swarmCd in the EIst
 river between the points named above and
 along the mud flats which extended out
 for some distance all along the New York
 side of the river from Fifth strCct north,
 Weak1sh four and live pounds in weight
 fed in grcat shoals on every incoming tide
 Striped bass wen, caught everywhere in
 the water district described, founder,
 were ubiquitous in their prCsCncC, ana
 black drum of grcat size and weight wen
 often caught by the hand liners, u class O
 fishermen very grcatly in the majority ii
 those days. \ stretch of flat rocks extend cd over an area which Is now opposite ! Twentieth and Twenty first streets anC First avenue and Avenue B, and her, many anglers gathered at every high wa , ter, in season, for striped bass fishing, anC
 success attended them at all times.
 With this wealth of fishing at their door | steps, who can wonder that the carly rcSi
 dents of this city did not roam far to cx plore other pasturcSs These wCrc almos within arms reach. Above tho HarlCn river every strCam, especially the Bronx | teemcd with trout, the rcd spotted bclut!
 of the brooks. Across in New Jersey thcr
 was no tributary to the HaCkcnsack rive | which did not have its quota of thCs ' jumping beauties, and every Till or brool that flowed into the Hudson from Cithc | side of the river held its share, and n larE
 one, of these fish. All around BCdlOw' = and Governors islands great striped bas Q of 10 to 50 pounds were daily feeding an,
 might bo caught, hand casting. from tn , foot of the Battery rocks. The north ant
 south shores of Staten Island, GravCscn'
 bay, the beach of Concy Island and tn thousand and one choice spots in Jnmaic bay, in each of which the devastating ne s was not, were swarming with choice gam 2 fish. The old knickcrbocker had his ful . | of fishing from his back porch and wen - not abroad.-New York Times.
 $ Woe For Coming Generations. . Tommy-what you crying about, c f baby!
 |. Jimmy-Awl You'd cry, too, If yo h pants was made outer yer sisters old bic = clo bloomers.-Cincinnati Tribune.