On Pistol Billy's Trout Stream 



my pocket. This stream is too brushy to use a long 

 rod and as the stream is but four to six feet wide, 

 casting is out of the question. 



I figured that strategy was absolutely essential, so 

 decided that I would carry nothing that looked like 

 fishing paraphernalia. Upon my arrival, the scene 

 before me was very peaceful; indeed, there was no one 

 in sight. I drove the car into some brush, got under 

 the fence and had almost crossed the open land when 

 a shout turned me about and there coming for me was 

 Pistol Billy. I did some quick thinking, and when 

 he came within speaking distance, he in no uncertain 

 tones asked me who gave me the right to walk upon 

 his land. 



I told him I was a geologist and was looking the 

 country over and was tracing a fault, as the country 

 around is quite an oil country. My statement sounded 

 reasonable, and with a few parting words he advised 



me that he was h on fishermen, but seeing as I 



was not one of them everything was all right. Once 

 in the brush of the creek I cut a supple willow and was 

 at work. I had started upstream and was delayed 

 some time in getting to the holes where the trout were. 

 So upon my first cast, which required the working the 

 rod through the brush and allowing the fly to fall onto 

 the water, a beautiful Loch Laven trout never mind 

 the size ; he was a trout, and trout in Wyoming are all 

 large hit the fly and was headed for the Platte River. 



241 



