Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-10-30
FISH CORE WHEN
ANGLER SUMMONS
ZIG AND liTTlG SIRE ALWAYS
souT FOR DOUGH-"
Natives Pasty Loaf is Their One Best
Bait-Guides Know How to
Attract Them

Attract Them
Fish of exceptional size and kind
are plentiful in the remains of the
canal the French were building on the
Panama lsthmus. Within a mile of the
Gatun splllway in the old French car
al. the fish called the rovalo, or
'snook," as il is locally kncwn. Is
easily caught. This is an excellent
food fish. In size these fish run ~
large as forty pounds. There are nu
merous catches OF fish OF this family
weighing thirty 10 thirty-two pounds.
Sixteen Founders are more common
These weights make the Canal
Zone fishermen believe that, when
more is known about local conditions
among the fishermen in the United
States, the Canal Zone will become
ore Of the fayOrite places Of tire
sportsmen who have heretofore bcel.
pleased to travel to southern waters
W Ndt'i siSH Vi 'HtS hlllu W z Stlili5 o4lC
to five pounds each.
That these are plentiful may bn
Judged from the statement of a high
ranking army officer that he has
caught eighty pounds of these fish in
a day and a short day at that"
The famous Jewish is another var,
iety that is not unrarely caught Ia the
Old canal near Gatun. Recently a jew.
fish weighing 265 pounds was captur-
cd there Local tradition tell of one
caught some years ago weighing 800
pounds. While present day fishermen
on the Zone do not vouch for that leg
end, they are general In saying that
Jewish weighing from 80 to loo
pounds are not uncommon in the ola
French canal.
The grouper Is another OF the fish
occasionally landed in the French
canal A few weeks ago an army of.
iicer caught, by trolling on small
Sinner. a grouper weighing twenty
pounds.
What is locally known as red snat
per, altho it is not the true red snap
per. has recently been caught in the
old canal. weighing as much as eight
pounds.
Another variety of fish found in the
I'D canal is the purely salt water fish
known as the barracuda. The Span
ish mackerel and similar varieties al
so seem to come into the Old canal
while they avoid the nearby water of
the Chaeres River.
The killing Of 100 odd square miles
Of jungle by the rising waters of Ga
tun lake has given rise to singular
method of fishing for what are local
~ known as peepongs, and another
fish called by the Spanish word via
Jas.
II appears that the thousands OF
large dead and dying trees still stand.
ing. altho half submerged by the wa
tors OF Gatun Lake, are the homes OF
countless iguanos. The iguaros live on
the thousands Of orchids and para
site plants that cover the exposed
limbs of these dying trees. In among
the orchids the iguanos also fill
rfubs and other animal parasites.
The iguanos are so afraid of every
thing that they plunge into The waite"
Is soon as they hear boat approach
the tree where they may be- The
splash which their plunge makes amid
the silence Of the dying jungle at.
tracts the fish in the vicinity and they
rush to the spot seeking new food. Az
the trees that the Gatun Lake has
h2lf submerged rot away their limbs
end eventually the whole tree fall,
into the lake waters. The splash
caused by their fall attracts even
more fish, who find food in the or.
Guilds and the grubs that had lived III
them.
The native fishermen have noted
This new custom of the fishv inhahi.
taAts of the submerged jungle and de-
Light in showing it 10 visitors who are
rot afraid to travel among the dead
trees in the small canoes that have
been dug out of tree bodies. With his
canoe, a pole about six feet long to
which IS attached q line of equal
length and lump of dough the size
OF a loaf Of bread, the native fisher.
men guide is ready.
If there are iguanos in any of the
trees the canoe approaches and the
splash made when these timid crea-
lures jump into the water quickly
brings the fish. If an iguano or a
limb from a dead tree does not splash
into the lake soon enough the guides
attach the dough ball to the end of the
line on their pole and With this con-
,rivance splash the water They des.
cribe it as calling the fish It con.
vinces visitors that the Gatun Lake
fish come when called.
CAMPHoR FROM PHILIPPINES