no Fish Stories 



Then, after dinner, an hour for pipes and cigars, lying on 

 the springy pine needles, the air filled with the incense of 

 pine and fir, while the quivering aspens along shore make 

 gentle music as they fan the air. The catches, the leaps, the 

 giants lost, the high jumpers of the morning are reviewed, 

 and fancy and imagination given free rein. Such is life in 

 the open in the big rainbow country. 



In the afternoon we move on up the little rivers, casting 

 gently in becoming fashion, constantly^ regaled by the 

 beauties of the scene. Two streams have special claim to 

 our admiration. They flow through the lowlands from giant 

 springs four or five miles to the east. Skirting Mount Peli- 

 can, we cast the pools of Short River, then push the skiff 

 into a narrow brook lined with tules — green, red and yel- 

 low — where the way is often partly blocked by little islands 

 of wocus, or clumps of tussock grass, cat-tail, and sedge, 

 which, under the heavy frosts, are taking on alluring tints of 

 red, gold and brown. 



A hundred yards of this, disturbing jacksnipe, mallards, 

 wood ducks and swamp wrens, and we come out into Crystal 

 River — as fair a mirrored little stream as fly ever fell upon. 

 Here are countless pools and points, sweeps and nooks where 

 giant trout lie, and glancing along the clear surface scores 

 of rippling circles can be seen — tell-tales of the living rain- 

 bows below. Here the willows fall into the water, or just 

 above it, forming alcoves, nooks and corners for the watch- 

 ful game, into and over which the flies drop with unerring 

 aim from my companion's tip. 



It has always been my theory that fishing should be but 

 an incident in a well-rounded day, and this Crystal River 

 more than demonstrated the saneness of the idea, as there 

 were enchanting vistas mirrored in the clear water, moun- 

 tains of snow, others in vivid green, pearl and mauve. The 

 tules that raced away with the soft wind that rippled over 

 them were fields of color; the base pure white, the center 

 green, the tips all shades of brown, red and yellow ; and so 



