170 THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 
three years ago; that the fish were collected about the outlet of the 
lake and in the stream that flows from it; that for a quarter of a 
mile or more from the lake the small stream was literally crowded 
with the finest trout they had ever seen. More convincing than any- 
thing stated was fifty pounds of male Rainbow trout caught by each 
fisherman and brought back to town. The female fish had been 
returned to the stream. It was not difficult to understand that the 
extravagant language ordinarily used by these fishermen was really 

Marshall Spell, Roy Buchanan and Hon. Roy W. Ritter, of Pendleton, and Catch of 
Four Mile Lake Trout. 
inadequate to describe what they had seen. They were stunned, non- 
plused, hopelessly stranded. It was something new in their experi- 
ence in a section of the state where sensational fish and hauls were 
common. They were discouraged; they had met with a fishing experi- 
ence that was new. It could not be exaggerated. There was but one 
thing left to be done; that was to get first-hand information. This I 
did, in company with W. P. Johnson, J. L. Slater, Jesse Siemens 
and Henry Stout, on June 18, 1916, Time and method of making trip 
as follows: By auto to Pelican Bay Lodge, 32 miles; one hour and 
thirty minutes, then by light spring wagon and two horses, twelve 
miles to the lake in question, two hours. 
Two or three hundred yards below the outlet of the lake a large 
irrigating ditch has been constructed for a distance of a quarter of a 
mile or more; this diverts about half the flow of the creek, which is 
returned to the creek, unused, a quarter of a mile below the point 
of diversion. I was instructed to get over to the bank of the ditch 
and take a look into it. I did so, and while I was prepared for an 
extraordinary sight, I was certainly not braced for the thrill I received. 
My first view of the ditch covered a section about twenty-five feet in 
length, with a width at the surface of the water of about eight feet. 
Within this area were twenty-five of the finest trout I ever saw; the 
water was ice cold, clear as crystal and not very swift. Many of the 
fish were near the surface and appeared to be on the lookout for 
possible flies or any food that might chance within range. Just a 
few feet away flowed the undiverted portion of the creek, where trout 
appeared to be almost as plentiful. Between this point and a dam - 
