230 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Oct. 19, 1882. 



Miner'sCreek meanders, backed by a cliff, rugged and im- 

 passable In some places and easily si aled in others. The re- 

 maining side is bounded by a rock wall of great height and 

 which oaunol be climbed by dees-excopt in the gorges worn 

 by tiny streams Of water. At the angle furthest from the 

 lake and where Miner's Greek comes in, ihe two I inges ol 

 hills are prolonged inland from oneand n half to two 'miles, 

 and lying in the valley bi tweea is a [akij a half mile of more 

 longand nearly as wide, andal the angle' where the twe rangCB 

 meet, Miuer'i I aakes a leap qvbi the dilV, and falls 

 about sixty feet. The lowland comprised in the trianglo, 

 ftfld also in Hi!' prolongation of the two Ml] ranges inland, 

 was once a part of the lake. The evidences are indubitable 



1 me period in Ihe past I he mqss-Cnvei«d dill's Hint 



bound this lowland, were cut and carved into their present 



Shapes and outlines, When the waters of Lake Superior had 

 a level of not less than fifty feet higher than 'he level now, 

 and perhaps a hundred. We made our camp not far from 

 the .ii, i shore and where the sounding of the waves could 

 ever be heard. The triangular tract of landlhave described 

 was made up of white Band, which had quite an uneven 



surface and once hail home a fair growth of merchantable 

 pine, which however, had been lumbered off, hut it was still 

 covered with jack pine, thickly in sorue places and thinly in 

 others. 



As SQOn Q£ We were landed Captain Jim left, us for his 

 home. I had been told that there was splendid trout Ashing 

 in the pool at the foot of the falls, but no one had thought it 

 necessary to tell me how to reach the falls, and now. when 

 1 asked Jim, he said there was a trail leading to the place. 

 The liar: What, a time I did have finding "the fulls! 1 set 

 out early the next morning, and, taking the trail, I followed 

 it. fill it ended in the creek a mile or more from camp, and, 

 though I listened for the sound of falling water, no other 

 sound came to me but that of the waves of the great lake 

 dash'na- against, the sandstone cliffs. After a search in vain 

 for.-, trail leading up the stream. I undertook to make my 

 way up through the brush, but after a half-hour's effort try 

 ing to force a way through a cedar swamp I changed my 

 mind, and concluded to cross over and go down stream in 

 aaidl of the falls. No one had told me more than that 

 there were falls, and for aught I knew a mate to the one a 

 COUBle of hundred yards from the mouth might be at no 

 great distance above! Waiting, scrambling through brush, 

 and crawling through cedar "thickets, another hour or so 

 failed to bring to light any falls, and so I left the creek and 

 ascended to the plain, thinking to return. Bui as 1 came 

 to Ihe trail, as good luck would have it, some white men 

 and two Indians were passing, and while I was very much 

 surprised at the apparition, [have no doubt thev were still 

 more so, for now I come to think of it 1 must have cut 

 mute a comical figure after my adventures in the brush 

 thickets during the morning. After an exchange of civili- 

 ties the stereotyped inquiry came, "What luck?" Where- 

 upon I not only said none, but told them of my unsuccessful 

 search for the fall, and the upshot of the matter was thev 

 were on their way to the place 1 could not find, and to my 

 oiler to accompany litem they assented. Their Indians, 

 after a short search! found a boat into which the three gen- 

 tlemen, wiio were Chicagoaus, and myself entered, and by 

 di::t :f a good deal :f paddling lv all, c.i.l somi wading and 

 palling and Dashing by myself, we finally made our way up 

 the creek and out iuto'the' lake, and running through that 

 we came to the inlet, where we left the boat. "and one of the 

 gentlemen, who carried a gun, and the other two and my- 

 self, went on up stream afoot in search of that fall. 



While forcing our way up the creek, 1 got out several 

 times to help (he boat over shallow places, and one of these 

 times I handed the rod I carried that day, a plain Ocono- 

 mowoc mounted with a No. 3 Kentucky reel, to one of the 

 gentlemen to hold, and noticing the reel lorthetirsl time, and. 

 no doulit, struck with my unkempt appearance as I emerged 

 from the brush a short liour before, he was load to say to 

 1ms companion in a tone not intended for mv ear,' hut 

 nevertheless loud enough to receive it all the same, "Why, 

 he has a Kentucky reel!'' And no doubt he queried within 

 himself, "Mow in this world did that gray-muzzled, pot- 

 bellied old duller ever come by that reel anyhow'/" 



Weli. we found tie- fail, and a beautiful one it was. with 

 a round deep pool at the base of the cliff, and being a little 

 piqued at what I imagined to be ihe insinuation when the 

 reel was looked at and whi, h I altogether justified, T iieycr- 



the .sun and selected my position accordingly and began fish- 

 ing at the same time toy companions did! At any other 



time 1 should have deferred fishing until the beauties of the 

 fall were takeuin, but, this day I fished, and forforly minutes 

 Ihesporl was excellent. 1 took seventeen trout during the 

 time, -eeue uf which ran up to fourteen ounces, and though I 



ieiii'i count the Ssb. my comrad* got, I though! 1 was get- 

 ting as many as- both. And when in. our return I inquired 

 the number they had taken and was answered, "I have not 



COUhted, but I think both of US have about half as many as 

 you," I could not help but think. "How are you, old pot- 

 belly T' Ah! but the heart of man is desperately nicked. 

 Those gentlemen kindly let me lie of their parly and thus 

 helped me to that which I had not been able to help myself, 

 and when my outlandish appearance excited their curiosity, 

 and justly so, as I was ready to own. I was, nevertheless, 

 enough piqued to be glad when they said I had twice as 

 many fish as they two. But I have repented me, 



_p. 1). Bajv-tv. 



COLORADO TROUT STREAMS. 



Hhvrii. Col.. Oct, 4, 1882. 

 I have jus! come back from a hasly, eight-day run tc 

 yflddle Park, Took my wife and a niocB along. Latter had 



never seen mountains within speaking distance before, and 

 to sav that there was one young Jady wild with delight k 

 putting it very mild, ft was worth the journey alone in 

 witness liar enjoyment. But aside from that we had such 

 grand, glorious days, and beautiful nights; auch delicious, 

 Bracing, <a'isp air; and the great slopes were so beautiful in 

 autumn dress, thai the trip was a perpetual . I. liitlit. 

 And then 1 had two fragments of days trouting, the first, 

 except one day, in four years. 



The first was part of 'an afternoon with Barney Day, a 

 typical frontiersman at whose cabin we were guests, and the 

 place Grand 1 fiver where it courses through his meadow in 

 the western edge of the Park. He had wading bo: a , but I 

 had not, so he mounted me on Bin, •her. his fishing bronco, 

 anil I made my first east from hor.-ebaek. We caUgp-1 only 

 ten trout, but they weighed fourteen pounds, [he lalgesl 

 Ihree and a half, taken by Barney; then two of two pounds 

 each; the others about a pound apiece. Wo small ones were 

 tohl 611 and the visible large ones wen- not numerous. 



Water clear as the air and cold as just melted ice. My horse 

 stood like a rock in any kind of waler and at any depth f saw 

 at to put him. 



The next day we fished up the river, as I had 16 move 

 homeward, both on horseback, and Barney with hi fbtn 

 year-old hoy behind bin . We got only six fish, bu tlioy 

 beauties oraboul two pounds each! We wasted a good 

 deal of time trying to lake some three or four pounders out 

 of a dfeep swirling pool, hut thev viewed all our tricks and 

 devices With disdain, and only one of the smallest came out tc 

 my rod. They would not take ally or any kind. Little fall 

 grasshoppers were the best lure, and helgramite next— the 



latter found under rocks at the edge of the water. 



Two days later we went m Grand Lake expecting to have 

 a day's Sport there, bUt daylight bronchi a driving snow 

 storm, and as all prospect for out-door enjoyment was there- 

 by em oil', and a sense of duty was constantly calling me 

 home, we very reluctantly started in that direction. They 

 were still having good success on the lake with dies— black 



gnat and hackles— and the tish were larger than those Ci 



1)1 the summer. A Mr. lioe, of your oil v, was devoting 'his 

 days to the sport and doing grandly. Three days afti t our 

 return we received from hfm (supposedly I by express a box 

 of beauties parked in grass, Indicating that as soon as the 

 storm was over the fish took hold with new vim — a common 



Elk, deer; etc., are abundant in the park, and beyond. 

 Hunters say more so than years ago when the Indians roamed 

 over the country. . B. 



IN FLORIDA WITH DR. HENSHALL. 



I AM in transit back to iny old home in Texas, on my way 

 from Florida, where I left Dr. Henshall and the rest of 

 the parly. Have stopped here a few days to rest, and there- 

 fore will only write a i'ew rambling lines, as I am rambling 

 myself, and fust off the Rambler, ('apt. Strobhar's seliooner! 

 It'is unueee.-sary that 1 go into detail regarding my sojourn 

 in Florida, so far as the St. Johns and Indian rivers are con- 

 cerned, as that has been so amply done by others gone before 

 me. 



Doctor Henshall, his wife, and myself, with the Captain, 

 went on board of our boat at Titusville, and went down In- 

 dian River and cruised around that country nearly a month, 

 and returned, and still none of the party w ; e had'waitcd for 

 had come except Mr. Mayor and wife, and lie Waj9 ObHged to 

 return, which left us to fill our parly as best We could.' We 

 then succeeded in getting Messrs. Norton and Ward, of 

 Bristol, Conn., to go With US. Tins made our party up to 

 four, besides the Captain, who is a whole team himself, and 

 we then concluded to go on and make the best of it. After 

 haying made satisfactory arrangements with Captain St rob 

 bar, and laid in stores of: provisions, we set sail again down 

 Indian River Sound, stopping in all the most important 

 fresh-water streams that flow Into the sound from the west 

 side, and Lie various inlets, creeks, or "cuts," coves, bays. 

 etc., on the east, or ocean, side, where we lished, hunted, 

 and enjoyed ourselves to our hearts' content. Besides our 

 ample stores, we had all the tropical fruits we wanted, with- 

 out cost — the finest oranges, bananas, lemons, limes, pine- 

 apples, etc., yam potatoes', lomatoes, fish and oysters "un- 

 til you couldn't rest." 



1 went to that country to angle for black bass, and to be 

 With Dr. Henshall of black bass fame, and to obtain of him 

 such information or wdial there was in the bass (hat 1 had 

 not yet learned, and I believe that I fully succeeded in the 

 whole thing. For I found the Doctor, and found the black 

 bass in any desired abundance and size, and as black as bass 

 could be. My reasons for not going the .whole, trip were 

 that I only had about three month's to spare, and two months 

 were already gone, and knowing it would take three or four 

 months more I o complete the cruise, 1 gave up the trip in 

 despair, a circumstance that, pained me more than anything 

 that ever befel me. On my return I stopped a few weehs m 

 Clarke county. Ala., to rest and shoot turkeys, but then- 1 

 had the fortune to slip off a log a.s 1 was crossing a creek, 

 and falling with my left breast across the log. broke three 

 of my ribs just over the heart. It was some time before 1 

 could regain the action of the thorax so as to breathe, but I 

 went on, determined to get mv ■•gobbler," and did so. but the 

 injury soon became too sore and painful to do much hunt- 

 ing, 'and hence 1 only killed nine, though line ones, and I 

 remained in that country until 1 came 1 ere lo rest awhile. 1 

 am better now, but still unable to hang over a table and 

 write long at a time. 



Now for the black buss of Florida and my little rod. 

 There is no use in telling you where to find the bass in 

 Florida, only that yon go there and tish for them in any of 

 the fresh-water streams and lakes that you find. If you go 

 to Indian River and ask for bass thev wdll tell you! "Oh, 

 yes. thousands of them— some forty to fifty pounds," etc.. 

 whin there is not a bass in Indi.au River. Aud there is 

 whore so mam" of your readers are confused by the reports 

 of "bass" in Florida weighing twenty-five to forty pounds. 

 What they call "bass" in Indian River is the redfish or 

 channel bass, well known everywhere, and is a salt-water 

 fish, whereas the black bass ( ifi.'mphrvs *e,',,„' /, , , ,;■ i/', :■,,,,- 

 U 1 w "dolly mule," is strictly a fresh-water fish, and should 

 never be confounded Willi so common and degraded a ti-li 

 as the redfish. The natives there call the black bass "trout" 

 (when they don't see the Doctor standing around in hearing); 

 but I believe they will come to it after a century or two. 

 Wheu we wanted redfish, cievaille, sheepshead. saiiois' 

 choice, snappers, sargoant fish, sharks, crabs, oysters and 

 Other disreputable fish, we repaired to the cast or ocean Side 

 of Indian River, and fished the inlets at flood or slack tide, 

 when we would take them in "world Without end." 



Just get you a lot of "fiddlers," anchor or tie your dingey 

 oyer or near a deep place, and drop them a line, that's all. 

 Thev will attend to the rest. I cut the foot-stalk of a pal- 

 metto, trim off the sharp edges, and use for a rod, bitch on 

 a strong cot ion or any kind of Hue, hook, sinker and crab, 

 tiddler, throw- in and pull, or hold and let them pull. Some 

 times one sort will bite, then another, until your flexors arc 

 worn out. When your boat gets tOfl full. Stop and throw 

 them out and start afresh, until you sicken and quit. We 

 always threw back all exei \,[ what we 'V allied to e,u, :i, SOOD 

 as taken off the hook. 1 would not allow such fish the 

 pleasure of tugging at my nice bass rod. for I only had one, 

 aud no scrub tish could ever strain its joints with! my con- 

 sent, The others seemed to enjoy the salt-water fishing, but 

 I didn't, and 1 always disliked it, when it came our turn to 

 go over to the ocean side of the river, but wheu we were to 

 go to Ihe Sebastian, Elbon Creek, Turkey Creek. Santa lueic, 

 etc., then I was in my own pickle. 



When once up one of those streams, there 1 wauled to re- 

 main always Never want to leave. The tall cabbage palm. 



bending its mop-like, head in the breeze; the wide-spreading 

 Ii »£, v. ill. limbs draped in clustering vines and the eter- 

 nal air plant; the tall and small bronze and Venetian ferns 

 in countless variety from two to fifteen feel high, wound 

 and bound in vestures of every shade, and hue of tropica] 

 shrubs, vines and weeds, ail tangled md svnrped inendlegs 

 and chaotic confusion; then the dark, clear, arober water-, 

 flowing, like oil, by you, as you row along up the silent 

 Stream where painful stillness leigns, seldom broken, wave 

 by the rustle of (be tall rushes On either hand, as a monster 

 saurian, having heard yen, , , m > gliding through them to 

 the river, or some big has- makes die sinbei fluid boil near 

 yon as he "goes for" an innocent shiner or a luckless bream ; 

 or by the paving sereaui of ihe bald eagle as be sails by, 

 bunting some poor, industrious osprey to rob him of his earn- 

 ings. Now look down as yon glide along and sec the lily- 

 pads, the few fallen cabbage log!, with their beautiful fringe 

 Of rich, glossy and emerald (nosses and curlvines and eel 

 grass — beautiful, fairy home of the fishes, where lurk the 

 festive bass and fickle bream, who dream away their lazy 

 Jives in freedom, pleufy ai d undisturbed repose— undis- 

 turbed sarc when i mane i the i IHaini us troll or quiver- 

 ing spoon invades beir. realms and^attracte them from their 

 lovely abodes, aud hurl- them into the upper world, and 

 perhaps into the fry-pan. 



As Ward and 1 were trolling up one of these streams one 

 afternoon, the scenery became too imposing. 1 drew in my 

 line and spinner, and told Ward 1o put down the oars and 

 let us give our eyes a feast. lie agreed, and we stopped, 

 To look up and around was simply grand, romantic, en- 

 chanting — then lo look down tlrrough the clear water and 

 see the great bass, from two to seven pounds, within three 

 feet of the boat, scare, ly moving when you prod them with 

 an oar; then the countless number of copper-nose and blue 

 bream, sunfish. ,! id Omni genm. f tell you the sight fairly 

 made our eyes hang out on our cheeks, Had it not been 

 that my heart beat more rapidly from the lively interest I 

 was taking, together with "Ward's" talking to me, I 

 would have thought myself in dreamland or the "happy 

 hunting grounds," and iuis spot, my paradise. 



As it was now- near sundown, 1 took the oars and told 

 Waivi to 1 roll and I would row back to camp. I asked him 

 what he thought of the scenery. He said: "ft is beyond 

 the language of man to describe," etc. I then took the oars, 

 turned the boat, and struck down the stream at a lively 

 rate. 



Hail not gone fifty yards, when we ran oyer a school of 

 enormous lias-, I told Ward, as quickly as I could, to drop 

 his spoon over, which' he did. and as the qiuvering lure 

 passed over them, with not over six feet of line out. a seven - 

 pound bass was struck and soon landed in the boat. 1 kept 

 rapidly on down to camp. Ward took many more fine 

 ones, "but threw them all back, not even taking time, to 

 weigh them, only saving what we could eat. 1 did not. 

 chance to go up that stream again. It came on to rain that 

 night, and the stream got on a "big spice." and we left, as 

 saon as the storm was over; but I want lo visit that place 

 once more, that's all. I wdll not tell everybody where it is, 

 unless they ask me or go with me there; but that is nothing, 

 one place there is as good as another, and "better too," with 

 One exception. There is a certain bend, in a certain creek 

 that bad no name, but from the success I had there I dubbed 

 it "Jordan's Creek;" and as that circumstance will close this 

 talc, you will be patient and hear it, 



It was on February 8 last. All the rest of the party 

 bad gone to hunt deer in the piney woods, I was very 

 anxious to see how big a bass I could take, and lo try the 

 strength and efficacy of my little eight-ounce rod.' The 

 Doctor had given me a Bran new braided silk line, that he 

 said no bass'could break "if properly handled." 1 thought 

 by this time I could do the handling, as 1 had got about all 

 the lessons out of the Doctor that were in him, and to put 

 all his sense and mine too info one head without bursting it, 

 was a feat few could accomplish. 1 had all the time been 

 using medium size minnows or small perch, and could take 

 all lie. pass I wanted up to five pounds, but the Captain kept 

 telling me to use the half-urowu bream and .yen the grown 

 ones if I wanted to catch "the Big bass, so I cor.eluded to act 

 upon his plan once. 1 went up "Jordan's Greek " some 

 two miles, and came to a beautiiul bend in il, and a nice 

 place to cast from. The water near the banks on either 

 side was fringed with huge bonnets or lily-pads, and the 

 water was IS to '30 feet deep and about 75 feet wide— an 

 enchanting spot— a spot fit for an angler to die in. 



Having tied my little Stranal.au canvas boat to a snag 

 OD the Shady side of the stream just below a line of bonneis, 

 1 took my minnow hook aud some venison for bait, and 

 soon had a dozen half-grown bream in the bucket. Kext 

 rigged mj little delicate ash and laUceWooil rod. reeled on 

 my new blue silk line, a small ringed sinker, then a good 

 sp'roat hook on double gut. 1 then clipped off the dorsal 

 spines of a bream, three inches wide, ruimmgthc hook in the 

 mouth and out at the nostril, and dropped the bait overboard 

 While I reel up for a cast, but on reeling up 1 found that a 

 huge bass had taken the bream the moment it, went over, 

 andwasiuggbagal Ihe line. } let him have lice as he de- 

 sin-d until there was do n oson w ]t, then by a good solid 

 wrist movement hooked the "bov." Oh. "yon bet," he was a 

 • alai-v." 1 had left my landing" ml in camp, aud hence had 



greater delay in getting these monstt re in. but as I got them 

 tuckered well, I would reel them in and lake them by the 

 under lip and lift them in the boar. If any one could'have 

 been near and beheld me working these fellows, it won hi 

 have been worth all the "llarnum shows'" on earth. It; took 

 a half hour to the lish. 1 had taken .seven, six of them black 

 bassand one dogfish or ••grindle/' andl was giving orjt I 

 was nearly dead. 1 began about two o'clock P, Jtt. 1 had 

 not moved, nor did 1 haveto wait three minutes for a new 

 bile after landing one, before the next began to "recite." 



The seeond fish f failed to hook, although 1 vauked him 

 several times as hard as I could, yet he would get up Within 

 two feet of the top and swim across the river in front of me, 

 and "chaw" on my perch, with one eye on me. the- other on 

 the sun. to see wdial .1 was Irving lo do w nh him. I would 

 jerk and he chaws until at b.-t le fell ihe -n.-l a hole, when 

 lie arose leisurely lo the ropan ' cast hook, bait and all from 

 his mouth, and with supreme disgust swam away. "Dog- 

 cm-yoiisir Es I I'll pal on something that will fix you 

 big'-mouihed fellows and I put on a No. 7 "barbless"hbok 

 andftxedon i - Bame a3 before, after which f never 

 failed to hook one or land him wheu hooked. When I had 



i sninalll v, a - Ltrolcen down. My poor little rod 



was worried to death. .My flexors and extensors were 

 nearly done, the aim was getting low down the sky. my 

 last live minnow was gone. I ttadafet 3ead and stiff • ones 

 left, Thought I would make one more cast aud then quit, 

 1 took one large perch or bream, over half grown, dead and 



