Jjuj. 18. lses.j 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



498 



trout, a >v>eeie» of fish Inhabiting tbe brooks which rush and 

 tumble and then peacefully wimple round the base of the 

 olflmoul 



tiinc-thesc koopsneaks were seen was in the early 



part of last trouting season, wnen three or four' uf them 



rolled out of Kolyoka on b * ■< . ■ th the sting under then 



■ ■: over the mountain to a brook where the 



ions to taste— the stine was 



Uto the brook and pursued the troui with iiureleiit - 



ingfury, Striking large .and small alike until the las. risk lay 



nit. When in the nor of gathering and smiling 



victims, preparatory to rolling home, they were 



surprised by an old Efoosiev of a farmer, who threatened 



them with u switch »f the law, which so seared the hoop 



snaiks (bey Vi ere glad to purchase silence at a cost of $200, 



When they rolled off the scene wiser if" not better sneaks. 



(Joj» Ukbbuh, 



JToLTOil: 



MY FIRST FLY ROD. 



HEMXNtSCKNCRS OF THE BANGEliES LAKks. — 11, 



TUB next -eason was the summer of 1873, and three of 

 our number were at Middle Dam, each now provided 

 i; to make our first cast wiili I he, fly. We 

 began m idestly, as is befitting beginners. My rod was a five 

 dollar- one, ash butt and second joint, With laueewood tip, 

 of nobody-in-partieulor's make. For red I had a common 

 brass, and on it twenty-rive yards of regulation braided 

 silk, with a six-foot gut leader, and two flics, stretcher and 

 one dropper. The dropper, however, before long was dis- 

 carded, as it was work wad sport enough to land one trout 

 at a lime where you were liable la strike a fish anywhere 

 from one to five pounds. 



Now came the business of learning to cast I lie H\ Is 

 there anything more amusing than the awkward work a 

 beginner makes of it? lie is told to use only the forearm 

 and wrist, and let the rod do the work. But at the very 

 outset is the difficulty, flow is he, lo gei the tty out on the 

 water? He swings his rod, strikes out full arm's length. 

 and lets his body follow as far as forward bending will 



allow, and yet the tlv falls but ten or a dozen feet away. 

 Then he withdraws and easts agaiu. and finds, that his leader 

 is in a snail around - the tip. when this has been cleared 

 and he casts again and is perhaps rewarded w ith a rise and 

 ry straightening of the lender, he delays a second. 

 that the victim may have a dunce to securely fix the hook 

 In his jaws, and then draws in wdth certain expectations— 

 una, alas, always disappointed in such a case, mi 

 unreeling of another van! or two of line, and pnot igoi 

 ous wielding of taa rod as though the line were a hemp 

 rope, ind a sudden bringing of all to a stand with n broken 

 o laught somewhere behind. It is laughable — 

 not to the pool beginner himself, lie hopes no eye other 

 than the- most friendly and synipatuiug is on him in that 

 moment'. 1 find by the record thai I gol along safely till 

 the evening of the fourth day, when "Went out to river 

 (Kapid Kivcr) a> 3:10 and fished down the further dde till 

 7:05. Caught four, the last about one pound, and broke tip 

 to rod." The record of a broken tip is against me three 



in thai eleven daya The record, too, of trout 

 laken is a lean and unsatisfactory one for the most part. 



The last day of the eleven, however, -made amends. We 

 had determined to have a good day of it, trout or no trout, 

 ■ind asked Asa Frost — who does not remember the reign of 

 Asa at Angler's Retreat for good and a "God bless him" in 

 those days?— to put us up a dinner. We ail three look the 



to the pond in the river, uss the widening out of 

 Kapid River into a little lake — the Alamandahagog— is 



called. Ami here let me enter a protest against the disuse 

 of the old Indian names, especially in the ease of Wiloken- 



i ibt and Moleehunkaniunk. The term Eangclcv. from 



the eccentric man who first attempted a settlement on one of 

 them, the Otptossoe, may well be applied lo the series, but 

 w iiy call :iiii of them the Richardson? Richardson, aslunder- 

 ISOrtlya man who curried on lumbering opera- 

 tions ou the lakes forty or fifty years ago, and no reason in 

 the world exists why his name should "usurp those of Wilo- 

 kennebacook and Molechunkaniunk. Will not Ottpt. Farrar 

 attend to this in his next edition of the ■•Guide Book?" Let 

 nand: Umbagog, Alamandabagog, "Wilo- 

 kunnebacook, MpJechiuikatnunk, "Mooselucmeguntie, Cup- 

 supticand Oquossoc, They arc. b thousand times better 



than "Upper and Lower Richardson," etc. 



Our intention was to take boat there, cross to the outlet, 

 fish dowu toward the Umbagog, take dinner somewhere 

 down the river, and make oiu - way hack as luck and pleas- 

 ure should dictate. Reaching the pu.nl 1 said to Hie member 

 of the party who had developed the, most skill with the fly 

 sake of a name 1 will call him Ihc Duke of Brnns- 

 "No. rod'- limbered 



limber yet." "Then 1 



. - od along without "limber- 

 ing up," f look my stand ou the favorite rock and made my 

 hest efforts, vly '"Montreal'' tell in Hie quick water per- 

 haps fifteen feet away. The broad side of a noble trout 

 gleamed in the light, showing the gold and vermilion, and 

 buckle went the fod and whi'/; went the reel. Mo such fish 

 had before risen to il\ of mine, and in my haste and anxiety 

 to secure him i struck hard— too hard— for snap went the 

 tip and off went the fish. "Aha," said the Duke, "if that's 

 the state of things I guess I'll unlimher," and before 1 could 

 ree! in and repair damages, he was on the rock and fast to a big- 

 trout, wbioh, after ten minutes or so of smart contest, was 

 bronnht to the net. It weighed three and a Quarter pounds. 

 ■...,', u , J ff aS In ordef aed spe.-diK again was lev 

 Montreal Seiaed bj a sturdy fellow, who buckled the rod 

 and made the reel whiz, Th _. more self-] essed 



- ■■■iug him the butt with care, and reeling 

 m and tettiug him run by turns as seemed necessary, in due 

 time I had my three and a half pounder in the net.' A little 

 larger he was than the Bute's, and thai ■ - ghlry enough 



• ■ ..:_■■ ■■•■■.- r- uiaiaed there 



- a an hour, as lou: k i'- : ad uc- 



ceeded in landing' ten or "a dozen from hall to one and one 



and a half pounds in weight. Covering them up safely 



from sight and sun we left them lor our intended trig. 



We rowed over to the. outlet, left boat, a.nd following the 

 shores or leaping from rock to rock in (he foaming rapids. 

 fished to a point somewhat below where tie Oxford Club 

 ,■ stands, with fair success, till the inner man 

 declared thiil it was lime for dinner . Returning to Lakm's 

 i , I.- i ' :■ i i ■ i • ■ 1 1 ■•bore of tin riser about halfway 



down .,kc carry, with ;. veranda across i ts front— it is now 

 in ruins — we located ourselves in the shade of" the veranda, 

 and while the Duke and I spread out the bounties of Asa's 



uie -.".;e oi a name i win can m 



wick— "Going to throw a fly here?" 



I .' u bile to unli 



will," a'ud as I had brought my rod a 



provision "Happy Jack," as some one had dubbed the third 

 of our parly from his general good nature and genial spirit, 

 went for water to the spring. And now came an hour which 

 1 never recall without laughter. We had no other fluid than 

 the pure .spring water, but the clear air. the suce 



sport, the perfect physical condition of our bodies 



rest aud recuperation of the previous ten days.and the exercise 

 of the morning, altogether, put US Into a hilarious suite. 

 The Duke aud Happy Mack b.-.ndicd stories and nonsense, ego 

 and Jack's ikle boy of twelve, who w - as along, pni ting in a 

 wand here aud there. but chiefly coming in in. the chorus of 

 laughter. As I say, no other stimulant was present than rlie 

 cold food and pure spring water, but a passerby, it' there 



hud heen one. would have supposed the champagne was 

 Mowing freely. . The next morning wt took our leave, 

 Barney toting a handsome lot of trout for us on bis back, 

 which" were duly packed in ice when we reached Upton, 



This was the lirst campaign Of my first fly rod. I pass 

 over others, to the last. The rod did me annually good ser- 

 vice, riilcr in my own hand- or the hands of a 'friend, for 

 after a second campaign my desire for a split bamboo 

 made it my second rod. Tt landed for me the largest trout 

 I ever caught (M lbs. i. at the same old place, the Pond in 

 the River, find f believe alter the first season I never broke 

 either of its tips again. II now lies at the bottom of Lake 

 Mooselucmegunlie— peace to its ash and laueewood -and it 

 was to tell how it came' there that this rambling story was 



begun. 



For the \aciuion of '81 1 had planned with a friend a trip 

 lo the King aud Bartlett ponds of Euslis, Me. Just before 

 setting out I persuaded a New York friend, who was rather 

 under the weather, to join us ami make a trio. After a 

 pleasant lei! days with friend tlutcbins at Iv. <fc B., New 

 fork. I made a detour from our return way to t lie Range- 

 leys and tried the (•■amps of friend Barker at Bemis.di 

 Mooseluemegumio. The next morning after arrival we 

 proposed to try the lake, and pushed off in a boat soon after 

 breakfast Eoi the purpose; The boat, however, proved 

 leaky— so leaky that, after a few lengths from shore, we 

 put back and called for another. They had all been painted 

 the day before, and were not dry. "But here's a birch, 

 Take her." "New York, flare you used to a birch?" "No." 

 "Then we won't take it." "ith, no danger," says Frank: 

 "Captain Barker's man in charge You are used - lo a boat. 

 and she's stiff. You'll go all right." 



Iu boyhood T did know something about a birch, bill had 

 not been in one since, and as to taking one now with a 

 friend at one of t he paddles who bad never sea, a canoe be- 

 inly had never been in one, I objected. AS 

 ■. was our only chance for the morning, and 

 New York bad no hesitation. J 

 places, JJeW York w lib the chief 

 iper position on the bottom tor- 



id be 



this,' how." 



Frank was confident 

 yielded, aud we took 

 paddle astern, and 1 

 ward. Now, if we li 

 say wilhthe canoe up to t 

 Bemis stream, it would pi 

 should probably have had 

 ourselves, or rods and sou 

 not so to he. Instead, we 

 southwest Shore one mile 

 with increasing conrhlen 



an directed to make our first es- 

 blue water in the monlh of Ihc 

 ably have been all right. We 

 pleasant paddle and brought 

 trout, all home safe, but it war. 

 ruck a bee line across bo the 

 Cant, We did it readily and 

 in our ability us ennoemen. 

 Then we paddled up the shore a mile and a half, throwing 

 a fly here and there without success, and back again. Thus 

 far all right, only once or twice, when 1 had changed my 

 position from sitting on my haunches to a seat on the cross 

 piece, I had thought we came pretty near Spilling oui. 



On reaching the point opposite ihc camp, we put away 

 directly for it, and were about a hundred yards from the 

 shore, and rocking pleasantly on the little sea 'which a smart 

 breeze from the "southeast "had raised, when I found the 

 canoe making rather too strong a cant to Ike leeward. "IrfJOk 

 oui. New York," snouted I, "we shall be over;" and while 

 the words were still in my mouth we were over. I making a 

 handsome plunge backward into the water, aud New York 

 — well, I don't know what kind of a plunge he made, but 

 he made it. The canoe immediately righted, but full of 

 water. Luckily IJ had my paddle in hand, and my bamboo 

 had heen so placed that it was not thruwnW.it, and the only 

 remaining article I had to look to was my rubber coat, 

 which was within reach, and made sale. Laying hoid of 



the aids of the canoe I supported myself ami' 1 



New York. "Paddle sale?" "Yes." "There's your rub- 

 ber coat afloat." He seized it and got if on board. "There's 

 your pipe, oil' Ihcre" — it was a briarwood and so did not 

 sink— and out he struck for it and made a rescue. "Where's 

 your rod?" — my own old first rod which he had Li en e-.n ., 

 "Don't know: "see it afloat anywhere?" A fly rod with 

 brass mountings and a nickel-plated Teel with fifty yards of 

 line on it would uo more Hoat than ll cannon ball." "Isn't 

 if in the canoe v" "No." 



He was trolling and paddling at the same time, and when 

 he went oyer the rod went over too, in twenty or 

 more feet of wafer. "Then it's gone. What shall 

 we do now?" There was no possibility of getting back 

 into the canoe, that We could see; though possibly it 

 might have been done by bailing out each end with our hats, 

 and then carefully crawling in over the end, if we bad thought 

 of ii. We did not think of it. "Shout and see if we c*n'l 

 raise them at the camp." One mile off, though in sight, not 

 much hope of inaklllg anybody hear. Still, we tried it; 

 yelled for help. with all the lungs we had. We wailed a 

 little; clinging to the canoe; but seeing no signs thai any- 

 body had heard us. we made up our minds that we had gol 

 to work out -our own salvation. "Well, New Yoik, wdiat 

 do you think of it?" "Got to get ashore ourselves. 1. .ruess; 



tf we - thereat all." "Well, put yourself 'sound on the 



other aide of that end, so that we can keep tie ■ - righl 



side up, and we'll try it." New York - end Was the stern be 

 fore the capsi/.c as we were leaving shore;, now it Was the 

 bow. He put himself round, and tnrowinghis left arm and 

 leg into the eauoc, he was thus baek to the shore, face lo 

 me, and had Ilis.rigUl arm free, ami managed to make use 

 of Ids paddle, while I at. the other end, held ou with left 

 hand and swam with right hind end legs. 



When this arrangement had ln-.-n effected and we had bc- 

 gtlU Vigorously to work. I looked for the nearest point of 

 m imp . It' seemed a long, Ions way off. Then I looked at 

 Mew York. The ludierousur ss ,",(' (he situation struck us 

 both. He laughed and 1 laughed— and then we laughed 



again. "How about this wives at home; What woi •' 



think to see us now?" "Well. lhe\ would be a lit'Ie fright 



eilfcd, 1 suppose.'' Then we disi-u- ■: ..! u -...n of the up- 



S0t I thought .Ywv York did if. While New York was not 

 COnsoiOUS of any action on his part which could have caused 

 it, and rather thought 1 was up on the crosspicce. I stood 

 to it that 1 was not on the crosspicce, but where I ought to 

 be, in the bottom I thought so sincerely at ihc time, but I 



am inclined now la bcliev* my friend was in the right. 

 About fifteen minutes' work brought us to hind, and after 

 the mot had been emptied and we were about to embark 

 Bgailt, we saw a boat coming front the camp to rescue, and 

 we decided to wait and take the steadier craft. This was 



the lasi of my lirst fly rod. 



YTOX.VTIQUOT, 



ANGLERS AND ARTISTS. 



HUW seldom we seen satisfactory illustration of uu ang- 

 ling scene! In the January number of Hamper's Mit'joziri'i 

 is a woodcut illustration Of Shandon Bells, It represents a 

 man wading n river and playing a three-pound trout, which 

 is, making a leap. The landscape, the water, and the dark, 

 rainy sky arc admirably done, the figure of the angler is 

 well designed and drawn, the leap of the flsh is natural, but 

 the artist has given the rod a curve which must have left it 

 when the flab went into the air as represented— the strain 

 being removed the rod should be straight. The artist has 

 drawn about forty or fifty yards of slack line meandering 

 about i Lie river, at the ciul'of wldch the fish is leapiug. i 

 bavcuevcrse.n a salmon, a bass, or a trout leap except at 

 the cud of a faui line— the fish runs to the end of the line 

 and then leaps. Tin- lady lish of I he Florida coast. A!h\Un 

 tWUrrhyitehuH, will leap on a slack line, and in fact is in the 

 air half tin- time after it feels the steel, Hut 1 have vcen no 

 oilier lish i lo it. 



In the same number of the magazine is a fine wood cut 

 taken f roni "Highways and Byways," by Gibson, represent- 

 ing trout fishing. A tangled wood, through which soaks a 

 stagnant stream. A rail fence er.r-^.-s.Mic stream, on which 

 is seated, over the water, a rustic ftshl rruan, his pole thrust 

 into a thicket of brush, which, supposing a fish silly enough 

 to approach the man on the fence, would effectually prevent 

 i pole " ing raised. Indeed. Ihc fisherman evidently does 

 not expert a bite, for he is not attending to his business, but 



■■■ ing over his shoulder at the reader, ■ 



Some time aco, I think in the same magazine, was an 

 article on "Salmon Fishing in Canada." in which was o cut 

 showing three persons in a bark canoe just about large 

 enough for oue, aud one of these sva n woman, standing 

 erect - I casting Ebrsalmon, A bare-lotted Indian might 

 SO bak ici Ir'ou-tlt. but a lady in high-heeled boots and a 

 tight dress, aevegj even were she so Well-balanced a person 

 as the tTOvernor-General's wife. 



As there are artists, like Braekett , who tan draw fishing 

 scenes .orreeUv. whv should incompetent ones be einploved? 

 8. C. C. 



Echoes av the Toubnament,?— The echoes have not 

 gone round the world yet. The last one has just been re- 

 ceived from Gallatin county. Montana Territory, iu a letter 

 to Mr. Harry Priehard. who won in the champion contest 

 for single-handed tty-roils. Ilsays: "Have Just read your 

 letter in Pomest A-m> Stukvm of Nov, :l. ' By your "com-, 

 inunicyiiou 1 see you can cast your Hies eighty-five, and 

 even ninety feet. Good cast 1 ( ome out and see me next 

 season ami I will give you the very nncst fishing you ever 

 had. Beside. 1 will show you some of the handsomest 

 scenery you have ever seen, 'l can assure von that you can 

 land seventy-live pounds in one day of the finest trout swim- 

 ming. They will average aoi lessthan one and one-quarter 

 pounds all through. 1 ■ a i shall also have some good shoot- 

 ing— deer, perhaps an elk or two, grouse, antelope and some 

 other game. I will guarantee you '.Nil! enjoy your trip, and 

 I will make you neipiainied with a friend who, I think. I 

 can pit against you to east for distance and tor execution. 

 W&willBnpplj you with everything you need, rods, reels, 

 Hies, guns, everything. And this invitation Crom a stranger 

 is al] b ii wise I want tosee yon i asl ninety feet If is all in 



good r'aim, mo, and wc will be the best of friends; have a 

 good time all to ourselves, Wc have the tinea Ashing in 

 the United Slates. 1 think, and oulv ,-b.Lecn miles from the 

 Crow Agency. Will lake great pleasure in visiting the 

 Agency with you. and showing pou over our snorting 

 grounds."— E. 'C, (,'t i.vt ■;. 



a been seeking infor- 



believing ft i ■■ 



;o and what 1 bavi 



very fine sport for 

 kle similar lo that, usee! for striped bass. 

 Kenworthy has given us reports of !os 

 attempts In capture them, and on one occasion he speaks oi 

 their •'cutting his line with facie seissors-hke jaws."(V) 

 theyv Mr. F. Tit.' Kil 



Tiir: 'i'Aitr \u. — For some lime 1 ha 



h 



Several ttm< 



id tli 



AVhat kiud of a mouth ha 



Crystal Btver, in oswer to intrukies on my part, says, they 



have a mouth like a troul : (presumably black has-,) and have 

 no teeth, His Information was obtained to the examination 

 of two which had been captured by hi- son Eli and -,, Mr. 

 Sharp of that place. These tarpum wtre captured with a 

 lillie iron at night with a jack light; the tir-t one iveighjsd 

 150 pounds ami carried the boal about five milet icon big 

 to fill's si ory the second weighed less and ran a -h I bs 

 lance with, the boat. The scales oi these 8sh, tWO Of which 



tow a bright silvery surface where exposed to the 

 h ite in use, aud measure 3$x3| inches; uncoi'dimr to the 

 lap there would be five thicknesses of scales covering the 



lish, ui. ing a wonderful armor for proieeiion I ",: . b; 



the FoiIESX A.NU S^BEAM a report Of the National Museum. 

 Thej speal pf the tarpum as plentiful along th< Gulf, but 

 were unable to gel a specimen. If there was any way to pre 

 serve the fish until delivered safely to them I could guaran- 

 tee to have one sent them most any time before April 1, from 

 my friends at Crystal River, if the capture of this fish 

 could once he demonstrated to be a success with rod and 

 reel, there would be plenty to try if, but the geueiul idea 

 seems to be that thej cannot be thus captured. Should I 

 again visit Florida] shall fry and prove the contrary.— A 

 l ; . Dodge, [The tarpumhas bands of villiform teeth, £ a,, 

 slender, bristle like teeth, which are crowded <• \ hi 

 bauds, 'it patches, as in ihe perches, bass, etc. In ibis fish 

 these bands arc found in the jaws, ou the vomer, tongue, 



Ll ,i ptejjlgoid bene-, and ou the base of the skull. I 



Tub ANoi.Ktt's Camp.- j n>n: Inre- 



gurd to the equipping of the Angler's Camp for the Loudon 

 Fisheries Exhibition mentioned in your issue of Jan. 11, 



permit mc to say thai the commission Was given to Messrs, 

 t'onii.o & l>)--e'ii and placed iu my hands', anil 1 believe 

 thai the ct - corapbtfe in every respect. The aitlcles 



recommended by you were included ami also a great ma u\ 

 tn i ■ mentioned in j OUI' paj ' ■ m tent with 



Borlabl b.'UUbOO poles, steel wedge and rope for dr. u; ;inj! 

 ■■■ .. rack for packing blankets, etc. The two 1 ttCI 

 i ous and useful, suggested and loaned by Mr. Jos. 

 Vv lileits, t Vmp bag of rubber doth, camp kettles 



