Terms, Five Dollars a Year, j 

 Ten Cents a Copy. J 



NEW YORK, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 1875. 



j Volume 5, Number 2. 



1 17 Chatham St. (CityHall Sqr.) 



laiitftnim of 



For Forest and Stream. 



ftrgttim 



Of recreation there Is none ' 

 So free as fishing is alone: 



I care not, I, to fish in seas; 

 Fresh waters best my mind do please; 

 Whose sweet calm course I contemplate, 

 And seek in life to imitate. 



And when the tim'rons trout I wait 

 To take, and he devours my bait, 

 ■ How poor a thing, sometimes I find, 

 Will captivate a greedy mind; 



And when none bite, I praise the wise, 

 u / Whom vain allurements ne'er surprise. 



Friday, June 4, 1875: — The Doctor and myself started 

 from Baltimore on our annual expedition to the mountains 

 of West Virginia, taking the 6:15 A. M. train, on the Bal- 

 timore and Ohio Railroad. We arrived at Sir John's Run 

 about midday, and proceeded to fish the Potomac for black 

 bass. Our intention had been to go up stream towards, 

 if not to, Dam No. 6, but hearing that people were shoot- 

 ing and netting there every day, we thought we had better 

 fish down. The Doctor used for a stretcher a silver gray 

 fly which we found most successful last year, and for a 

 drop fly, one which was recommended by Col. Ferguson, 

 our Fish Commissioner, while I put on the Ferguson fly 

 as a stretcher, and for a drop tied a yellow fly made by 



Captain , of Canada, and said by him to be very good 



for small salmon and large sea trout, the result being 

 that nearly all the fish took the Doctor's drop and- my 

 stretcher. We concluded that Colonel Ferguson had dis- 

 covered the right fly for the Potomac at least. It is made 

 by Abbey & Imbrie, successors to Andrew Clerk; and yel- 

 low and green colors predominate. Twice I caught two 

 fish at one time, from which, it will be justly inferred, 

 their size was not large. We fished down one mile, and 

 had no rises after the sun left the water. People assured 

 us that small salmon have been taken this Summer, which, 

 if true, proves that these fish, placed in the Potomac by 

 Col. Ferguson a year ago or more, are doing well so far. 

 We saw several trot lines and felt very much tempted to 



follow the example of Mr. who, we were told, while 



fishing here the preceding Saturday, whipped out his knife 

 whenever he came across one of these abominations. 



Score: 25 bass, 2 fall fish and 4 sunfish; total weight, 

 game, fish, and all, only 11^ lbs. 



At 10:20 P. M. we took the train for Oakland (Garrett 

 Co., Md.) arriving about 3 A. M. .Tuesday, June 8.— Took 

 the 8:50 A. M. train and reached Grafton before midday. 

 Finding that Col. C. J. Faulkner and another gentleman 

 wished, like ourselves, to go to Phillippi, we four sought 

 to engage a hack. However, Col. Faulkner changed his 

 plans, and our other partner, who seemed to be a drum- 

 mer, found a customer to detain him at Grafton, so we 

 were thrown on our separate resources. We might have 

 taken the train further on to Webster Station, but as the 

 distance was only four miles, and the cars would not leave 

 until three o'clock, we determined to walk, not only to 

 that point, but to Phillippi, also, twelve miles from Web- 

 ster. Our trip was intended to be a pedestrian one, and 

 we thought we might as well settle down to the work at 

 once. We walked the railroad track to Webster, at which 

 point the road turns off to the South or Southeast. We 

 now passed through a fine grazing country, and the condi- 

 tion of the farms, style of buildings, &c, gave evidence of 

 a very fair state of prosperity. About sundown we reached 

 the brow of a mountain overlooking Phillippi and Tygart's 

 Valley river. We had passed a woman, some distance 

 back, who asked if we were "showmen," and now, turn- 

 ing a corner in the road while descending the mountain, 

 we came face to face with a man on horseback, who threw 

 up both hands, exclaiming "Hello, boys! you look Jest 

 like a few years ago!" And so we did, particularly the 

 Doctor with his snuff-colored fishing suit and haversack. 

 The Valley river is a noble stream, and we were glad to 

 learn that it was locked with black bass a year or two ago. 

 At the same time if was a disappointment to us to find they 



were not native to this part of the river; it seems they 

 have been prevented from ascending by a fall below Graf- 

 ton. We had been taken for traveling showmen and likened 

 unto returning Confederates; but in Phillippi various new 

 characters were attributed to us. "Are you men in the 

 lumber business?" "Are you drummers?" "Are you 

 pedlars?" 



June 9.— The Doctor had put on a new pair of brogans 

 yesterday and both feet were badly rubbed. To-day's 

 walk of thirty miles aggravated the mischief to such an ex- 

 tent that the sores did not begin to heal for a week after- 

 wards, and few would have had the nerve to keep on under 

 such painful difficulties. I had worn a pair of canvas 

 shoes, reserving my brogans until they should at least be 

 softened and adapted to the feet by wading, and my expe- 

 rience determines me always to have a pair with me on 

 these occasions. Crossing Laurel Mountain (the same 

 which extends into Pennsylvania, and is so often mentioned 

 in the history of Colonial times) we descended into the 

 long and beautiful valley watered by the Upper Valley 

 river. It must be fifty miles in length, and varies in width 

 from a quarter of a mile to two or more, having the lofty 

 Cheat Mountain range on the East, and Laurel, with its 

 continuation, known as Rich Mountain, on the West. I 

 have never looked upon a lovelier scene, particularly when 

 the sun is low, so as to bring out more clearly, and yet, 

 more softly, the undulating lines of the summits, and the 

 spires and intermediate hollo vvs, all bathed in richest blue or 

 purple light. Beverly is rather a quaint old place, and the 

 square, with court-house on one side, and a long, low 

 tavern on another, makes it like one's idea of some English 

 villages. "Are you men pedlars? &c, &c. 



June 10. — Started up the valley at 7: 15, and soon had 

 to cross the river, which we did by wading, as the bridge 

 has never been rebuilt since its destruction during the war. 

 At Huttonsville we stopped to lunch. "What goods have 

 you men got?" Shortly after sundown we reached Jona- 

 than Grouch's, only 18. or 20 miles from Beverly, sore feet 

 having made this a hard day's march, however. A breast- 

 work extending almost if not quite across the valley at 

 this point, reminding us of a J 'few years ago." Here it 

 was that Gen. Lee, in 1861, laid his plans for the capture 

 of a large Federal force, but the disobedience or remissness, 

 it is said, of a subordinate, enabled the enemy to escape. 

 Near by, under an oak tree, Col. Washington, the former 

 owner of Mt. Vernon, was killed, while reconnoitering. 

 Col., afterwards Gen. W. H. F. Lee, had his horse killed at 

 the same time, but mounted that of his less fortunate com- 

 panion, and escaped . 



June 11.— About one mile further on we left the Hunt- 

 ersville pike and the valley, "taking up" a stream called 

 "Elk Water." Near its head we crossed the Brady place, 

 an open farm on the summit of the divide between the 

 waters of the Valley and Elk rivers, and descending the 

 road or path following the course of the Valley branch of 

 the Elk, we finally arrived at the river at Jerry Cowger's. 

 It will be observed that there is one Elk Water branch of 

 Valley river and a Valley branch of Elk river, both small 

 sized tributaries, heading a short distance apart and run- 

 ning in opposite directions. I need hardly state that (Ty- 

 gart's) Valley river is one of those which form the Monon- 

 gahela, while the Elk flows westward into J the Great Kan- 

 awha. The Upper Valley river and its tributaries once 

 abounded in trout, but they are pretty well fished out, we 

 are told. We were now at length on our fishing ground, 

 but Jerry Cowger gave a most disheartening account of the 

 fish, saying there were fewer this Spring than he had ever 

 known, and they ran smaller. He told of a party from 

 Beverly last Summer who poisoned the stream with fish 

 berries, and said the dead or frenzied trout were floating 

 down for days afterwards. We heard much of these mur- 

 derers during our stay, and although the people of West 

 Virginia generally seem unconcerned at the rapid depletion 

 of their streams, the settlers along Elk showed a great deal 

 of indignation over this instance of wanton destruction , 

 These fellows will yet receive a good tongue lashing at 

 least, should they venture into this region again; unfortu- 

 nately, they had cleared out before their evil deeds were 



known. Cowger and his wife, an old couple, were both 

 sick with the influenza, which seems to have been prevail- 

 ing as an epidemic throughout these mountains, and we 

 were advised to go three miles lower down, to John Ham- 

 rick's, for quarters. Encumbered as we were with all our 

 baggage, we determined to fish on the way and were soon 

 in the water, which we found very cold. Besides many 

 very pretty rapids, we found fine pools, notably at the 

 "Whittaker Rock" and "Falls of Elk," and this is probably 

 as good fishing ground as there is on the stream . We fished 

 rather carelessly and killed only 35 trout, weighing al- 

 together 7£ lbs. ; in size they ranged from 8 to 12 inches. 

 We caught, it is true, many others below 8 inches, but 

 made it a rule while on this river to keep none under that 

 size. Putting up our rods just at the most favorable hour 

 for fishing, we went to secure our quarters and supper, at 

 John Hamrick's. 



June 12. — In the morning it rained quite hard, but we 

 did a little fishing before dinner, and more after. For at 

 least two hours I steadily whipped the magnificent pool 

 below the falls in the hope of striking at least one of the 

 large trout which are said to congregate there waiting for 

 a rise in the water. I might have been successful had I per- 

 severod, but left the pool before sundown, which is the 

 time when these big fellows begin to forage. My best 

 sport was in securing two ten-inch trout at once, which I 

 succeeded in doing after many minutes' careful work. 

 Passing down, my stretcher fly caught on a rock quite 

 across the stream, and not liking to sacrifice another fine 

 cast (I had already left one on a sunken log at the falls), 

 lost the time between sundown and dark in endeavoring to 

 get free. Meanwhile the Doctor had taken supper and then 

 visited the pool nearest the house, catching several very 

 good fish in rapid succession, the largest (14 inches) weigh- 

 ing over a pound, and the others not much smaller. 

 Score for the day, 36. So far we had fished carelessly and 

 rather in the way of experiment, having made up our 

 minds to get to work in earnest the next week; when, 

 however, we were to be disappointed . 



Sunday, June 13. — Hamrick announced his intention of 

 going to Beverly with his oldest son for two days, and 

 hinted that the women folk did not altogether like the j 

 presence of strangers during the absence of their natural 

 protectors, so we passed down the river seven miles, to his 

 brother's, Ben Hamrick, sometimes called "Trigger Ben" 

 or "Little Ben," to distinguish him from "Big Ben," the : 

 former living on and near the mouth of Burgoo creek, and 

 the latter on Leatherbark, which comes in two or three 

 miles below. Elk river here becomes so large and we saw 

 so many bass and other kinds of fish that we argued little 

 prospect for trout. 



June 14 — After breakfast I retraced the path for a mile 

 and tried a noble pool we had observed the day before. I 

 spent a couple of hours here, changing my flies until I had 

 nearly exhausted the resources of a well stocked book, but 

 in vain. Black and red gnats, spinners, cochy bondhu and [ 

 duns of all kinds would not provoke a rise. I also put on 

 a small English minnow with no better success. Finally ( 

 I tried for bass, both with the fly and Buel spoon; but 

 there was no response. I then waded down, casting alter- 

 nately for trout and bass, but caught only one chub. By ' 

 dinner time I was at the mouth of Burgoo ;with an empty 

 basket, and only took two or three on my way up. The 

 Doctor had also taken a couple just by the house, having ■ 

 remained there to nurse his sore feet. I reported there was 

 no fishing in this part of the river, in which opinion he 

 concurred on general principles and observations. After 

 dinner I thought I might as well seek some amusement up 

 Burgoo, which was said to swarm with fish, seldom ex- 

 ceeding the length often inches, however. I went up 

 about three miles and found no pools, the stream being -a ' 

 uniform shallow rapid. I was told afterwards that, less' 

 than half a mile beyond the stream became a succession of 

 deep, dark holes which were fairly alive with trout. As it 

 was, I returned with 39, between six and nine in 

 (having set aside our rule for once for the sake of«meat)" 

 ?and I am sure I threw back as many as one hundred^lnost 

 of which were about six inches. By the w ay, our practice 



