210 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Oct. 12, 1882. 



cost us -well on to forty dollars to go to Thunder Kivor and 

 Teturn, and judging, from his occupation, thai he was pre- 

 sumably interested in our being sufficiently pleased with our 

 nip as to speak will of ii. and perhaps rettiro another year, 

 I am unable tp understand how he could so cooly suggest 

 the fleecing. The Nok-e-ha.v suggestion was fll ■ 

 short order, when our Landlord sent his hired man out in 

 town to learn whether or not he could borrow a wagon suit- 

 able to carry us and our camp stuff; bul it seemed thai Hie 

 man who kept wagons lo loan was out of town that day, 

 and so the hired man returned as he went. 



The situation began to look desperate. No one could say 

 when a wagon could be had. and I he only livery man of the 

 lown, so far as I saw, being from borne, bis driver was 

 "'mighty sure" that be would not lot a team go to Thunder 

 if he kI-iv al borne; and al any rale for nol less than fifteen 

 dollars a trip. And then we began thinking about other 

 fishing grounds and to inquire the time of the arrival of the 

 nexi north-hound train, and while gelling Ibis information a 

 young man driving a well-fed and stout team of horses 

 stopped at the pump for wattfr. Ai a feature 1 accosted 

 him. and to my delight he Said: ■•('erlainly ; will carry you 

 out for ten dollars, and when your stay is out fetch you 

 hack for a like Bum." He could not go until tie- morrow: 

 but in a little while we had our "outfit" on bis wagon and 

 lie hauled us oul to a good camping ground, where tfo Sel 

 up our tent and wenl to housekeeping. 



The next morning Charley Armstrong-, for thai was the 

 young man's name, came alter us according to promise, and 

 at. once we set oul for Thunder River. It would be need- 

 less to (umber the pages of the Fokekt and STREAM with a 

 description of the country through which we passed. It is 

 enough to say that about half the way (as 1 now remember 

 it) was through hardwood timber, and* over the worst roads 

 to be roads at all I certainly ever saw The learn walked 

 fast, and with stumps, roots, mud holes and corduroy 1 

 never had such a shaking up in all my life before. Where 

 the pines grew the sanely soil insured us dry roads and 

 reasonably smooth. 



About iwcuiy-iivc miles out we came to the 'Armstrong 

 farm." a clearing in the heart of the lumber region. Soon 

 after passing this we crossed Beaver Creek, n Wry pretty 

 stream, and one which I have no doubt is a fair trout 

 Stream, The cook at the farm boasted in nut presence of 

 the. fine string he had caught in Beaver Creek the day be- 

 fore, the first information we had of our nearness to a trout 

 stream, but when 1 mentioned the circumstance to ( 'barley 

 be said the cook was an "awful liar." and then said some- 

 thing about the fish being "for the farm." On our return 1 

 met the schoolmaster at the "farm." and he told me thai 

 he had good trout fishing in Beaver Creek. 



At the setting of the sun we climbed a high ridge, from 

 which we could see far to the west, through t lie thinly scan, red 

 pine trees, the cloud-reflecting surface of Thunder Lake, and 

 beyond, in the hazy distance, a mound shaped hill which 

 our driver said was Blue Mountain of the white men and 

 Win-cha-win-ching of the red. The scene was one of great 

 beautr. A rain cloud which had just passed over, and bul Col- 

 our rubbers would have given us a good wetting, hung like 

 a black pall in the east, while the crimson Bun shone over 

 the west of Win-cha-win-ching. and lighted up hilltop and 

 treetop with "colors dipped in heaven." It was not yet 

 dark when we reached our camping ground, which Was on 

 the north shore of Thunder Lake, fifty fee! or tflore down 

 the surface of the water. 



Thunder Lake, which in the Indian tongue was Ah-me-kc 

 Sok-i-e-gan, in its greater length is about a'mile long and lies 

 south-southeast by north-northwest. It is perhaps Ihree. 

 quartersof a mile wideand issurrouuded withlowhills. thinly 

 covered with pine timber. ! lis fed by alittlc stream which lakes 

 its rise in a spring a couple of miles to the wesl. and which 

 stream widens into two small lakes ereit enters Thunder. 

 The outlet is from the north side not far from the inlet, and 

 it runs a mile northward, discharging into Thunder Kiver a 

 mile or so above its entrance into the Pesh'igo Kiver. Our 

 camp was pitched in the angle formed by the lake and its 

 outlet on the east side; and about fifty yards from us, down 

 'near the stream, was the cabin of old Frank, a crack-brained 

 old fellow who has lived the life of a hermit here foi nine 

 years. 



We had heard of old Frank while at Peshtigo, and had 

 been given to understand that it would be well for us to 

 honor his whims, for he knew where the best fishing grounds 

 were, and without his help we might lose valuable time 

 huniing them for ourselves. On two or three subjects old 

 Frank was a decided crank, but on all others he appeared to 

 be straight as a gun barrel. He thinks he is the lawfully 

 elected President of the United States, but has been deprived 

 of his office through the machinations of bad men. He was 

 elected in 1876, and has been patiently awaiting a summons 

 from Washington to come and assume the reins of govern- 

 ment ever since. That summons will come at any rate by 

 the fourth of next March, or else war will s,-( in between 

 the Democrats and the Republicans, and ihe people will go 

 to cutting each other's throats. Old Frank is overcome by 

 a "power." A "power" has revealed all these things to 

 him. He was born one hundred years to a day after Wash- 

 ton, and he was elected one hundred years to a year after 

 Washington, or to use his familiar speech, "George did his 

 gieat work." Old Frank imagines that the hill on the west 

 side of the outlet of the lake contains a gold mine and for 

 two years he has been digging for Hie precious metal. That 

 gold is in solid ingots and belongs to the people of Ihe 

 United States, lie has dug a great Solo in the bills top and 

 has sunk a abaft abocu thirty feel deep in the bottom of that, 

 hole, which is curbed with wood. Every bucket Of sand 

 draw,, up that -ban occasioned him a journey up and down 

 it. The old man is as ecu i has a child, and, strange as it 

 may seem, talks very little upon his crank themes. He is 

 "God's man andean afford to -wail," he says, and it never 

 seems to enter his head that anyone could "he so foolish as 

 not to believe as he does, Tu fee a week he carefully shaves 

 himself and twice a day he carefully combs his long, thin 

 hair, and thus keeps himself in a presentable condition, 

 should Secretary Fo.lin^hiivsen or even President Arthur 

 unexpectedly call upon htm to go up lo Washington and 

 take cool rol'of public affairs. But if after all it should hap- 

 pen thai ii is I who am the crank, I nevertheless f-el sure 

 that the Secretary or President, u hicheve,- ii isihatgms 

 out to Thunder Lake would do well nol to enter old Frank's 

 cabin. The country air out there is delightful, but the 

 ancient smells that come forth Prom ihe open door of that 

 old cabin would never remind one of "Ai a by the blest" I 



Win-oua-wiu-ehliig is an egg-shaped hill, the longer axis 

 of which lies e U st and west, with the "little end" to the cast. 



It is. perhaps, three or four miles long and two and a half 

 or three wide at the widest pan. It rjses graduallj from the 

 plain, .-ave on Ihe .-oiilli side, where there are said to be pre- 

 cipitous cliffs, but at no point does it. exceed one hundred 

 feet above the level of the surrounding region. It Is covered 

 wiih a dense growth of heavy timber, with impenetrable 

 thickets of an' undeivrnwth beneath, and it is the home, 

 says old Frank, of great numbers of bear, deer, and wolves. 



Two streams, which lake their- rise, the one west of the hill 

 and flowing along Ihe northern side, and the other south- 

 west and Mowing" along ihe southern side, meet cast or it 

 anil form the thunder River. From Ihencc down to the 

 I'eshtigo Kiver is three miles or more as the crow Hies. a , ,| 

 in these tWO Streams and for tWO miles below I heir union is 

 where the troul are found. 



High up in Hie norfhoa.-i quarto of the. hill, surrounded 

 bv dense groves of giant live-, is a little lake of limpid 

 water. Hither came Ihe deer, judging from their tracks, in 



gnii numbers, to iced on the watcr-lfjies. and about the sub- 

 merged logs bass we,e lurking in number- truly astonirfiing. 

 I threw a apoon from Hie shore and caught lour lusu lelhiw- 

 as fast as I could draw it in. which were relumed to t heir 

 home as soon as auffldently^dmired. Old Frank assured 

 IIS thai immense trOUl live in Ibis lake, also— trout weighing 

 three and four pounds; bat lhevarc never caught before 

 October, and from Ihencc on through Ihe winter. In Thun- 

 der Lake Hie larger fall and winter troul are also taken, bill 

 in no other lakes than these two thereabout. 



Fishing in Thunder Kiver is no realization Of an artist's 

 dream. The lishermau therein cannot lounge under the 

 shadow of the trees upon beds of soft grasses and -n, inner 

 Mower.-, lie may hear the singing of bird-, ami especially 



that sweet singer of thi thickets, the hermit thrush; he. may 



perhaps hear' the whistle of a startled deer now and Iheii, 

 but as he journeys down t' ■<■ winding Thunder, he will -ooii 

 learn that' il is all he can do lo piv-erve his Christian integ- 

 rity. The brush is literally in clouds, the ground is spongy 

 and full of holes, and bv Ihe lime one lisbes the "likely 

 spots" Hiil lie within Hie length of a half mile of Ihe A l"i- 

 me-kc-Se-be-Wer-shcn.-Uf he has not ripped oul some fearful 

 imprecations, In- is a wonderfully even tempered man. like 

 myself. But then the fisherman can gel troul. and 1 am in- 

 clined to- think as richly-colored fellows tts Bwim in water 

 The Thunder Kiver trout are very highly colored, mote so, 

 1 think. Iban the trout of anv other stream that I altet- 

 wards fished. They were new to me, and I seldom took one 

 off my hook that I did not turn it over and over u rid 'study 

 and admire its wonderful combinations o! blue, vermilion, 

 salmon and other colors, shades and tints. And the Tlnm- 

 de] Rivet trout are by no means scarce and are of good 

 size. In looking over inj journal, I find the following fig- 

 ures indicating the numbers taken at diflVrcni times, to wit, 



IS, 36 23, 9, Si, l-J. The largest I took was fourteen inches 

 in length and weighed twenty ounces; the next was thir- 

 li en inches long, and I g,>t several a root in length and a 

 good many ten inches long. 



•I'm nine years," said old Frank, "people have bee,, 

 coming to Thunder and fishing, and the fish an- about as 

 plenty this year a.- they were al first. 1 don't know where 

 ihey come from. They must come from some place, for 

 they will be pretty well caught out by the time people liui) 

 coining this year." 



I do not know how true all this may be. I apprehend 

 there will be an end to trout fishing in the Thunder River in 

 duelime, but the Stream would seem to belong to a region 

 that is peculiarly favorable to the growth of trout. The 

 tributaries of ihe Oconto. Peshtigo and Menominee, all of 

 which discharge lb, ii waters into Green Bay, are many ijf 

 Ihetn trout streams and some of Iheui famous for the num- 

 bers and -i/.e of Heir li-h. The "Menominee range." as is 

 called that region of highlands rich in iron ores, through 

 which the celebrated Brule River runs, abounds in trout 

 streams. 



The Brule has been the objective point for many trout 

 fishermen for many summers, and a Chicago lawyer wrote a 

 book about it, but I was assured by trappers, "laud look- 

 ers" and others, that all through the range there were other 

 streams abouuding in trout. The entire region has been 

 lately opened up to fishermen by rail and a new line of road 

 running some distance west of the Northwestern Railway is 

 in process of construetiou. and the probability is, that, in a 

 few years more the Green Bay streams will be depopulated. 

 This new line of road will pass within twenty miles ot tin- 

 Thunder and crosses Beaver Creek at the Armstrong farm. 

 It heads up for the "range," anil when it is opened I appre- 

 hend there will be a grand rush from Milwaukee, its point 

 of departure, for the new streams it will make accessible 

 D. I). Banta. 

 ' Chippewa for Little Thunder Kiver.— Old Frank. 



to be envied by those who see nothing to be enjoyed out of 

 the daily routine of their dull lives. This is U0 day for fish- 

 ing, and these thought- come to me as 1 sit with',, quaint 

 copy of an "Angler's Song Book" in my hand, and through 

 smoke-wreaths watch the leaden sky and Ihe steady down- 

 pour. The wind is south, to be sure, bill the rain is wet and 

 till the earth is sodden: Had we no leisure to wait for a 

 good fishing ilny. I could not so calmly sit under this 

 "frown" of nature on our anticipated Bportj but there are 

 times when a rainy day. to the angler, is a godsend— to be 

 enjoyed, and not to beacowled Upon ancath a"' 'cursing-cap." 

 (in such a day, if fits laekl,- be not in order, be can read 

 Walton and either maslcrs in Ihe "gcnllc art," review the 

 . and be the belter prepared to 



pasl a 



go a-l 



Aft 



iid fori 

 eld wl 



cast the fut 

 en the "shac 



and 1 



Hied! 



11 day 



'.^r;,;; 1 :. 



WITH HACKLES AND GENTLES. 



FOUUTTI PAPER. 

 "The south wind, like sighs from a fair maiden's breast, 

 Just ripples the water that else were at rest; 

 The cloud, like a frown from that fair maid, scarce seen, 

 Just shadows the surface that else were serene; 

 While honey-drops, type of the lovely gj r i« B tear 



Ju: 



sun 



els, 



THEsouth wind, as for the huntsman so for the angler.is the 

 typical wind, i- the desired wind for sport, but boring 

 the east and northeasi bluster any wind, oilier thing.- being 

 favorable, httj blow, ami the patient and painstaking 



angler may bring to ctvel worthy li.-h. I hive fished will, 



the baneful northeast blowing half a. gale, but it can i 



when Ihe day had been "set apart" for an ouling ami I 

 inn-t either try my luck or ,no|>e. It was where "hackl, -" 



or anv other Ily had not been used for a I least a go) ate.n. 



and indifferent bottom fishing was the only alternative, 



ll wasmv wont to keep a "worm pre-ei've'' in good Con 

 dilion for immediate use, and the well-scoured "brandlings" 

 and "gem le.- well repaid the care lake n of them in taring 

 goodly perch and occasional bass to my hook. I freclycon- 

 fcssthatl do not like to kill trout save with ihe flyl it 

 seems the only proper wav io lake those cleanly, aristoi ratio 

 fish, and certainly none other is so perfectly satislactory, 

 either to contemplate or to practice. Deist not agree with rue, 

 my I /rot her of the angle; 



"In plying our dear craft" wc meet, at every step ,,f the 

 way. new experiences, and with every lish brought lo creel 

 we lay u|> in Hie memory some pleasant thing to serve us 

 when fish and fishing are not a! hand. 



The mind of man from childhood to age, is the recep 

 tacleof many and varied etchings, pleasant to recall and 

 indestructible while memory holds its .-wav. and the sports- 

 man has such a glorious stock of these in store, that he ought 



'"We are Just like brother an 

 Ami this iH our toast. 

 The true anglers' boast- 



But, there an 

 angler In accep 

 soothe livery 



eaeti ot! 



day is 



. II: 



will, bravado as if 10 spile tiic elements. 



casts and changed positions, but my creel 

 with every blast, 100 empty to defy th 

 apostolic "fishermen I "toiled" and '*ca 

 fished becaus- I had left town on that si 



I high noon pa 

 wind made me -u,r 



between two perr<:< 



man's luck" far woi 



The literature of 



poetry. Ihal all taste 

 to find though lit 



a dire one for any 



e Influei 



ce fails to 



he rod 



can recall 



behind 



them that 



looms 1 



lp" before 



a chill. 



as n ghost 



its pei 



il cliariui- 



c east v 



ind blew 



ccess, a 



id I fished 



Fished 



- 1 made 



swaved 



on my hip 



■ wind. 



Like the 



ught no 



thing:" I 



iceial d 



IV io fish, 



:1 before ihe btiJtetiugs of Ihe fateful 



nder. This one day was sandwiched 



fishing days— a "stroke" of "iisher- 



• than ii "wet jacket." 



ngliug is so rich, hotl 



may be suited, and nos 



Of vor 



it, pros, and 

 :ker need fail 

 rote from ihe 

 Iral— for all 



heart, wrote as they budded castles and 

 lime; and 'lis a rare joy in this mailer of fact age to "un- 

 earlh" an old book on field sports and see the honesl zesl and 

 hearty love that sat behind ihe quill. All honor lo the 

 worthies who wrote of field and Hood, who sang, in sweet 

 measure, as they strolled afield! 



•' Here's a bumper to rod and do spear! 

 A bumper to those, who, where'er the rill flows, 

 Are spearing and angling niong! 

 " Here's a cheer lor Ihe charms of the stream, 

 A cheer for a glorious burst; 

 And who would not cheer, when the held throw the spear, 

 For tin- fearhjss ar- always tie- first. 



" Here's a sigh for ihe anglers afar. 

 A welcome to those Uml are her.-: 

 A health lo the whole, who. in spirit and soul, 

 Aie friends to the rod and the spear:" 



As gold to the miser, so is the sight of running water io 

 the angler — it thrills him lo the heart's core, and his eye 

 peers info the deeps for a lurking ti-h with a greed ami' a 

 hope that must be felt to be understood. Sad indeed it is to 

 see so many "likely" waters uilerlv bereft of worthy fish: 

 Alack! the miser hath usurped Ihe angler, and the fouled 

 streams croon a requiem for the fish that are fled! 



0. W. K. 



SECOND PRESBYTERIAN FISHING CLUB. 



T'HF, log of the twelfth annual cruise of the Second 

 Presbyterian Fishing Club of Philadelphia, on the 

 schooner Samuel Applegit, is just before us in a 

 neat and humorously illustrated pamphlet of ninety- 

 six pages. The large chart of the cruise, shows a most 

 remarkable formation of the country about Chesapeake 

 and Delaware hays which materially differs from the charts 

 of the I'. S. (.'oast Survey, and shows what inferior work is 

 done by the Government engineers. The latter corps seem 

 to have entirely neglected the resemblance of different head 

 lands to the profiles of the members of I he Second Presby- 

 terians, and consequently the government maps do not show 

 any similarity to Smith's nose in the peninsular terminating 

 at Cape Charles, nor do the names of places at all compare 

 with those of the new chart now presented. The log, as 

 kept by Mr. Clifford P. Allen, and illustrated by Mr. Her- 

 bert S. Packard, shows that due regard for the solemnity of 

 fishing was observed and all levity banished from the 

 schooner. Vei they were not happy. Some evil-disposed 

 person had posted handbills purporting lo be signed by the 

 Chief of Police of Kensington, offering a reward of $600 for 

 the apprehension of the "outlaws who stole the schooner '5, 

 Applegit,' now said to be in the neighborhood of Norfolk." 

 thereby causing these •truly good men to be looked upon 

 wiih suspicion. An advertisement was also inserted in the 

 Norfolk Landmark warning people not to trust the mem- 

 bers of the 2d P, F. C, and in consequence they were sore 

 at heart. 



We have given Ihe by-laws of the club in former wars, 

 and only note a new clause which -a\-: "No member shall 

 ice, iv. , r..,|',; on bis score Cor the i.ijg.-i li.-h vet. when he 



•all but go. him 0U board but lo-l him;' neilho' 



videnllv eigUI ounce.-." Tin 

 r I iwo week-: of July, and 

 lateii in the grief, which beca 

 overcd that there was not ;; 



he reptile th, 



I by Dr. Mini,- 

 n I If you will 



,-l him;' neither -hall he in- 

 i is seven pounds when it is 

 rip of H,e club covered the 

 wciity-tu o members partici- 

 la intense! when it was dis- 

 ,gle onion on board. Among 

 I mile, and niter the cook had 

 following lecture on anatomy 



which 



9m 



• your attention I will bu- 

 laiu tiie construction and uses of the subject, 

 i-lant. Mr. Simon, has so ably prepared and 

 j om The specimen is the head of the 

 I .. OT ii, plain Kngli-h. the snapper; you 

 will percotve thai Ihe head is divided into two part- :,{, in- 

 side and an outside. The outside is composed of bone cov- 

 ered n ill, skin or cuticle. The skin on his chock, you will 

 observe, is very thin ami appears almost as hard as the bone 

 which it covers— as hard it, fact, as the.cn,eek of Ihe average 

 membl rot this club. The inside you will find largely deco- 

 rated with braiu, muscle, nerves and sinews. Here we have 



