io6 Fish Stories 



have been so, very likely it was not, but I was in full sym- 

 pathy with the idea ; it appealed to me, in many ways. As 

 it was cool we sat on the gun deck about the boiler, which 

 had done service in a sawmill, told stories with the engi- 

 neer, and watched some loggers play pinochle, occasionally 

 going on deck as the steamer ran into little impassable 

 creeks, rivers or inlets to wood up, leave a passenger or 

 letter. 



As I stood by the gang-plank at one of these landings, 

 named Odessa, a passenger going ashore stopped and said, 

 " Mister, Hank Martin asked me to tell you that the weight 

 of the fish on that third Benson was fourteen pounds. He 

 said you'd understand it." 



Nowhere was the lake over twenty feet deep, and every- 

 where could be seen the evidence of large trout leaping or 

 rising — a fascinating, alluring sight to the angler who, per- 

 haps, has been educated on a diet of quarter pounders. 



The following day, with Mount Pitt behind us, a giant 

 icicle against the sky, we rowed out into Pelican bay, be- 

 ginning near the deep pool at the entrance of the little river, 

 rowing along shore from pool to pool, casting in the shadows 

 of willows, quaking aspens, giant firs and pines ; in the gloom 

 of great peaks, and over waters clear as crystal. No more 

 fascinating region for fly casting could be imagined ; indeed, 

 the natural beauties of the spot were so attractive that the 

 eye was constantly lured from the cast to charming vistas 

 of mountain, hill or river. 



The water was smooth and clear, and as we drifted 

 slowly into the deeper channel or succession of pools which 

 lined the shore, rainbow trout could be seen rising every- 

 where as far as the eye could reach. Standing up to cast, 

 I saw columns of trout; platoons of individuals of heroic 

 size and comely shape moving slowly out of the way — a 

 fascinating, inspiring spectacle. 



We were in the shadow of Pelican mountain and its for- 

 ests and a dark fly — a " Kamloops " — of large size was used, 



