Notes and Queries 87 
watched him casting (that is, he called it 
‘““casting’’) here and there and, as I failed to 
see any responsive movement on the part of 
the bass, I remarked that our bass in this 
country wanted solid food. I caught several 
fine fish from some of the poois as we came 
down stream, but failed to see my friend 
with the ‘‘signs and symbols” come in with 
any bass. 
As we neared the big pool, called the Sul- 
phur Spring Hole, I was picking my way care- 
fully along the precipitous sides of the river's 
bank, when a yell from my friend arrested my 
movements. Mentally resolving ‘‘snakes,” I 
“turned and beheld him standing transfixed 
with both hands grasping ‘‘that rod,’ which 
was gyrating in a most wonderful manner. I 
hastened to assist him and, after a little ma- 
neuvering, we landed a bass eight inches long 
if an inch. I moved on with the parting re- 
mark: 
“You might fool those little fellows, but the 
old fellows are not so green.”’ 
One or two more baby bass landed by my 
friend, and then he remarked. ‘‘ Here, Alex, 
tayo.  ‘Lconcluded to “‘try it,” as the oppo- 
site side of the river afforded more space for 
me to make acast. I crossed on a convenient 
foot log; as the water at this point enters the 
pool at this declivity, there was considerable 
of a riffle from three to four feet in depth, and 
jutting boulders afforded splendid nooks and 
hiding places for large bass. 
I cast; that is, I chucked line, leader and tip 
of rod all in a bunch, and just the length of 
the rod. After several more attempts at cast- 
ing, and with a determination born of despair 
and the kindly remarks of my friend, I did 
make a ‘‘cast,’”’ just on the opposite edge of the 
riff, behind a large boulder. A splash, a gleam 
of gold, a mighty tug, a whirring reel, allin a 
second of time, with my blood frozen in my 
veins, dilated eyes, hair standing on end, and 
then another yell from my friend brought me 
to my senses, and then again a ‘‘battle 
royal,” and all the skill I ever read or heard 
of I put in play on that old bronzebacker. 
Such mighty rushes, such leaps, and all the 
fighting knowledge he ever possessed he put 
in play. But I ‘held hard,’ and, crowned 
with victory, he lay gasping on the sand, a 
noble specimen of 2% pound weight, and of a 
deep bronze color. 
Such was my first experience in the great 
art of fly casting; but since then many hun- 
dreds of his family have I taken, larger or 
smaller, and often two, and many times three 
at one cast, but no fish, large or small, made 
such a gallant fight. 
I succeeded in taking from that same pool 
that evening seventeen bass, one or two 
larger than the above, and none under a pound. 
I then and there made the solemn declaration 
that I would believe Dr. Henshall, Professor 
Wells, or anybody almost as truthful as they 
are, for the ‘‘signs and symbols” are all 
right, 
Many other trips were made by my friend 
and myself along our, at that time, beautiful 
stream, but the great flood of 1889 destroyed 
all vestige of its former beauty, and the open- 
ing of many mines have finished the work of 
destruction, compelling us to wander to other 
places. Should ‘‘Camp Fire” read this com- 
munication, he can see how another was initi- 
ated into the Greek of the followers of Sir 
Isaac. ALEX. 
CoONEMAUGH, Pa. 
Salmon Angling at Bangor. 
Will you kindly give me what information 
you can regarding the salmon fishing at Ban- 
gor, Maine. At what time during the spring 
are the fish best taken? What flies are most 
successful? Does any angling club control 
privilege? What hotel accommodations are 
best ? 
BRooKLyn, N. Y. 
We placed the above queries in charge of 
Mr. Archibald Mitchell, who is, by odds, the 
most experienced salmon angler of the Bangor 
waters, and he has most kindly and courte- 
ously responded as follows: 
“You ask at what time in the spring are the 
fish most plenty and best taken. The time at 
which the best fishing occurs varies each 
year, according to the time the fish ascend the 
river, and the condition of the water when the 
fish are there. Last year the fishing opened 
the first day the law came off (April rst), and 
before the ice had entirely left the river. 
Probably the best fishing during the season 
occurred the first week in April. The fish 
taken at that time must have ascended the 
river while it was yet frozen over at certain 
places. ‘This very early opening of the sea- 
son, however, was exceptional, and took most 
of the anglers completely by surprise, as the 
season had never before opened at this time. 
To make a long story short, the first salmon 
