28 THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 



WITH BOD AND GUN ON AN OKEGON KIVER 



Down the Umpqua, One of Oregon's Swiftest 



Streams, Where Deer, Ducks and Grouse 



Abound and Mammoth Salmon 



Are Caught 



By Alfred Powers, in Forest and Stream 



LET the Umpqua Biver, Oregon, stand for the Colorado; and in this 

 parallel of adventurous navigation, let the Pearson Brothers, of 

 Winchester, Oregon, take the place of the Kolb Brothers. 



The Umpqua from Winchester to Scottsburg, at the head of tide- 

 water, is in its rip-snorting qualities, a little brother — not such a very 

 little brother, either — to the Colorado. This cataract-filled segment, 

 about 200 miles in its tortuous length, is the part of the river traversed 

 by Steve and Hugh Pearson in two rowboats each only fifteen feet 

 long and lightly constructed. 



The descent of the river is only a part of the experiences of these 

 two men. They fished with hook and line near Scottsburg for 48 days 

 and during those seven weeks of commercial angling they caught 1,602 

 salmon, which they sold for only a little less than a thousand dollars. 

 Their economic adventures were therefore quite as exciting as their 

 nautical adventures. 



Steve Pearson's account, here given, describes in detail their trip 

 down one of Oregon's swiftest streams — rapids, portages, ducks falling 

 all around, and men disappearing into the fog on the disheveled current 

 of a river hurrying to the sea; and it tells of two men catching 79 

 salmon in a single day with hook and line, of crisp November mornings, 

 lines frozen in the guides, and hands too cold and numb to pull in the 

 mammoth fish that struggled like a lassoed calf. Steve Pearson's nar- 

 rative of this interesting trip follows: 



During the summer my brother Hugh and I planned to go down the 

 Umpqua Eiver on a fishing trip. We had often been told about the 

 great salmon fishing to be had down near the head of tidewater during 

 the months of October and November. Hugh and I had had a great 

 deal of experience in trolling for salmon at Winchester. As salmon 

 were higher than usual, we thought we could have some good sport, 

 make our expenses and probably wages by going on a trip to the mouth 

 of the river. 



About four years ago we made the trip from Winchester to the 

 coast in a rowboat. We decided, to make this trip in boats. I had a 

 15-foot boat at Winchester and Hugh had a boat of the same size 25 

 miles down the river. As my boat would not hold all our outfit, we 

 took a quantity of our supplies by auto to the mouth of Little Canyon, 

 on the river, and left it at a house where we could get it when we 

 came by with the boats. 



We started on our voyage at 8 A. M., on the fifth day of October. 

 We had with us two Winchester shotguns, one .22 caliber Winchester 

 rifle, plenty of ammunition and grub enough for three or four meals. 

 We took these guns along, as we expected to have some great sport 

 shooting fish ducks and shags, which are numerous along the river and 

 which feed on young fish and ought to be killed. 



It was a beautiful day to travel — the fog had just lifted from the 

 river and the warm October sun was shining. Shortly we saw our first 

 game — three fish ducks sitting on the shore. I kept the boat behind 



