The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-08-23
COL JONES TAKES FOUR VOTES TO
NAME THE BEST FRESH WA
TER FISH


To the Editor: The fish that I regard
most highly, both from the standpoint
OF the sportsman and the table. are the
mountain trout, bass, robin and the bronz
nosed brem The habitat of the trout is
of course beyond the crest Of the Blue
Ridge, and as original conditions still
largely prevail there. we might expect /,
find them in undiminished numbers, but
the constant destruction of them by dyna-
mite has all but exterminated them in the
trans-mountain streams. Then. too the
bass have forced their way into most of
them,a with their predatory habits have
either devoured the trout or driven them
away as they are rarely, if ever. found
associated in the same stream. The re-
suit is that the brook trout in North Caro-
lima is now a ''fast fading race and af-
fords hut little sport to the angler
The fish lay its eggs and the muddy water
is constantly depositing shiny sediment
upon the eggs that in a great measure he
stroys their fecundity. The result of all
this is that the bass no longer affords
sport in this section.
The bass still survives in the Catawba.
Yadkin and the Dan. and in the Spring a
few run out to feed in the creeks that make
into them, and there sportsmen may occa-
sionally land one or two in the course OF
days fishing where thirty years ago
he could have easily landed dozen.
know of no place in this section of the
country where the most industrious angler
can find days sport. Where the Uwharie
runs into the Yadkin and Stanly county
there was said to be good fishing up to
few years ago. Older men than yourself
Will remember that that distinguished law
yer Patrick II. Winston, ST.. was accus-
toned in the last years Of his life to spend
several months of every year fishing n
this place, and our friend Sam Pemberton
told me many times that he had fished
there for bass with great success.
In the pine district, southeast OF here,
where the land does not wash even when
the forests are removed, the conditions are
much better. About Lumberton and Lau-
rinburg. and beyond at Lake Waccamaw,
and still further beyond in Waccamaw
River in the Cypress water the fishing is
still good for bass, robin and bronz nosed
brem OF these fish the brem is perhaps
the most remarkable. It's natural habitat
is in the cypress water Of the Eastern and
southeastern portions of this State, and
thence as far South as Florida He is as
game as the gamest, sometimes weighing
as much as one pound in North Carolina,
and even more in Florida. Twenty years
ago nearly | stocked the reservoir of jGe
Charlotte Water Works with bass They
multiplied rapidly and | subsequently added
several other varieties, including the brem
which l procured from South Georgia. The
bass exterminated all these fish except the
brem These were so prolific that they
wthstood the depredations of the bass
and completely stocked the pond. Year by
year since that time, l have taken hun
dreds Of both sorts. and the same condl-
ltion still continues l have been informed
that they have been carried to reservoirs
near Hendersonville in the mountain
plateau. and that they are doing very well
there The brem is the only fish that !!
know of that can live many years along
side of the bass. / should perhaps say
that in the reservoirs where | have placed
them here the muddy water is excluded,
and consequently they do not meet the
conditions prevailing in the open stream
In all ! have said, / have confined my
self exclusively to the inland or fresh wa
ter fish.
As to salt water fish my experience has
been confined to Morehead and the water
about Wilmington. For some reason
have found the fishing at Morehead better
than along the shores near Wilmington.
+ HAMILTON c. JONES.
! Charlotte, n. c. Aug 1S 1903