140 Recreations of a Sportsman 



garden. Serra selected the site, indeed, he changed 

 the original location from Monterey to the little 

 river, and if he had hunted all over California 

 he could not have placed San Carlos nearer a 

 more beautiful trout stream; and in following 

 its windings up into the Coast Range to Los 

 Laurelles the picture of cowled friars in the 

 deepening shadows is irresistible, for the Carmelo 

 is a rare and radiant little stream, whispering 

 of peace and contentment, and abounding in 

 good and game trout. I know its upper reaches 

 best where it enters the mountains and flows 

 capriciously in and out hidden from view. True, 

 its trout are not large, but the large things in 

 life are not always the best, and this is particu- 

 larly true of rainbow trout. 



Not only is San Carlos hard by a delightful 

 and alluring trout stream, but near at hand, in 

 the bay, is the finest sea salmon fishing in 

 California. 



There is no fishing in the winter in the Carmel, 

 except in the laguna or in tide-water where, from 

 October 15th to the 1st of February, one may, 

 with a clear conscience, angle for salmon-trout, 

 a splendid fish, Salmo rivularis of the scientist, a 

 rainbow gone to sea some think, but a tremen- 

 dous fellow who takes the fly and sometimes rod 

 and tip; a rainbow of twenty pounds has been 

 caught not far from San Carlos Borromeo, and 

 when hooked went spinning into the air, a bar 



