SUCKLEY MONOGRAPH OF THE GENUS SALMO. 133 



comes almost dry in summer. It is full of trout; hovr tbey ever j;2:ot 

 into it is a mystery. Here, seated ou a half-submerged log, we have 

 caught mauy a fine bunch of "speckled bellies." Flies do the best 

 tiiere, especially late in the afternoon, and until it becomes so dark in 

 the evening that the angler cannot see his fly break the water. After 

 this time, unless he has artificial ivhite moths, the ^y must be put aside, 

 and then the anal fin, or a piece of the belly of a fresh-killed fish, 

 gently trolled near the surface, will frequently hook "big ones." 



Steilacoom Creek, below " Chambers's Mill," is an excellent place for 

 trout in January, February, and March. Here the waters rise and fall 

 v/ith the tide, and are fresh, brackish, or salt, all within the space of 

 half a mile. The writer has there caught several male trout, weighing, 

 two hours after killed, over two pounds each. The two largest were 

 killed in February, 1854, with a large, unnatural, gaudy salmon-fly. 

 Fish of large size are rarely taken in this place later than March ; after 

 that they are replaced by vast quantities of small ones, rarely exceed- 

 ing 7 inches in length, which, although excellent for the table, certainly 

 aftbrd no sport. 



Although there are other good spots, such as the Turnwater Falls, near 

 Olympia, Clark's Creek, near the Puyallir[), and many more that could 

 be mentioned, the writer will confine himself now to the consideration 

 of but one more good fishing-ground, and then bid the geographical por- 

 tion of the article good-bye. This last place is McAllister's Creek, situ- 

 ated about eleven miles from Fort Steilacoom, and nine from Olympia. 

 It affords the best trout-fishing we know of in the Territory. Perhaps 

 there a>re no more fish here than in many other similar water-courses in 

 the neighborhood, but it has the advantage of having good banks, only 

 moderately shaded, from which casts can readily be made. The best por- 

 tion of the fishing-ground extends from the old mill-site to a point about 

 three quarters of a mile below. This is all subject to tide influence, but 

 the water is fresh for the greater part of the tract, and even at the lower 

 end is but slightly brackish at high water. The best time for fishing in 

 this creek commences about an hoiu" and a half before high water, and 

 lasts three-fourths through the flood-tide. In one day's fishing in Octo- 

 ber, 1856, the writer caught, at tliis place, thirty-eight fine trout the ag- 

 gregate weight of which, six hours after death, was fifteen pounds. The 

 bait used on that day was principally salmon-ros, one-third dried, but 

 we have frequently taken many fish, in the same place, with artificial 

 flies, grasshoppers, meat, and most of the other ordinary allurements. 

 To such of our readers as may probably condemn the uusportsman-like 

 practice of fishing with salmon-roe, meat, or grasshoppers — to those who 

 have no patience with any other mode of trout-fishing, except by the 

 scientific whippings of an artificial fly — we must apologize by saying that 

 our only fly-rod was irretrievably broken, our flies were gone, and it was 

 nearly a thousand miles to the nearest fishing-tackle store. 



In the streams near Fort Steilacoom there are probably many in- 



