248 Recreations of a Sportsman 



trout stream in the world. Of it Senator 

 Stratton writes me: 



I have never kept any record of the same for the 

 reason that I always objected to keeping record of 

 number caught, confining myself to the minimum 

 in fishing, and not desiring to go beyond bounds. 

 Some of the fishermen on the river who kept count 

 would have as high as three thousand trout inside 

 of from six to eight weeks, such trout running from 

 one half to ten pounds. I have been pretty much 

 around the world, and as far as I can be advised 

 I consider that the Williamson Kiver has been the 

 greatest trout stream in the world. When I first went 

 there, something over twenty-five years ago, I was 

 enabled to catch in one afternoon forty-two trout, 

 the smallest being one and one half pounds, and 

 the largest eleven pounds. This fishing was done 

 with fly from boat stationed at the mouth of Spring 

 Creek, an outlet of Williamson River, all situated 

 in the Klamath Indian Reservation. As years have 

 passed the fishing has become poorer, notably within 

 the last three years. 



I have found that on certain days without ap- 

 parently any reason large trout will appear in 

 schools at certain places. For example, I caught 

 sixteen trout all between three and one half and 

 four and one half pounds in weight, practically 

 alike as you will see, all within the space of three 

 hours. The fishing on the Williamson River is 

 done in a space of about four or five miles from 

 the confluence of what is known as Spring Creek^ 

 which is almost icy cold, temperature forty-one de- 



