ANGLING EXTRAORDINARY 



River every once in a while, because they have to 

 swim; no man who is not a bold swimmer has any 

 business wading the Rogue. But sometimes, in 

 very wild water, the angler does not get out. The 

 writer fished with one skillful angler who admitted 

 that he had lost a part of his nerve. "I saw my 

 pal drowned before my eyes two years ago," said 

 he. Each year at one place or another there is apt 

 to be the record of a life lost. Still the sport itself 

 is no such gruesome affair as the foregoing might 

 seem to indicate. Its difficulties are those which 

 can be circumvented by bold and hardy men. 



Local anglers gradually learn contempt of the 

 dangers. Gradually also they get a sort of instinct 

 by which they can judge the bottom of the river. 

 Indeed, they know the bottom like a book in the 

 more familiar reaches which they often fish. If 

 you wish to see Rogue River steelhead angling at 

 its best, therefore, you would best go out with some 

 of the more seasoned anglers of Ashland, Medford, 

 or Grant's Pass, communities where this cult most 

 flourishes. In these little cities one can get very 

 comfortable accommodations and can readily get 

 general directions for the river. The stranger, 

 however, would be more or less helpless and there 

 are few or no professional guides. One will find 

 the angling sportsmen of this country the soul of 



59 



