128 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



ISbpt. 10, 1885. 



Philadelphia Notes —Sept. 5.— The West Jersey Game 

 Protecfive Society is again this year showing great activity 

 iu the preservation of the game in that State. Two additional 

 detectives, Jacob Cowau and George Hantiold, of Gloucester 

 (Oity, have been iippointod to aid in enforcing the laws, and 

 stinngent measures will be taken to prevent a- violation of the 

 statures. The society ]ias paid out over $1,000 in rewards 

 for hawks' heads in South Jersey, and these birds have been 

 nearly cytermiuated. Only one was shot last month. Rail 

 birds have not arrived in any great muubers and very few 

 sportsmen have tried the maxshes for them. The tides thus 

 far since tlie opening of the season have been poor, and the 

 winds blowing from the west. Reed birds are more plenti- 

 ful and in good condition. No teal have arrived, but they 

 are looked for after the first easterly stonn. — ^Homo. 



Texas.— Galveston, Aug. 27.— Up to this time the weather 

 has been so hot and the gi-ound so dry that we have had 

 very little sport; but after this month wo will have good 

 shooting until February. I tried a round with the doves and 

 bay birds last week and found them plentiful, but very shy. 

 The doves are so fat that when shot they burst open "when 

 they fall to the ground. Bay birds, such as snipe, willet, 

 curlew, etc.. are plenty, but their meat is dry and not fit for 

 the table. Very few ducks have arrived as yet, but a norther 

 which came last night will bring them.— Red Breast. 



PiGou Powder. — ^American sportsmen are to have an op- 

 portunity to test the famous English gunpowder known as 

 Pigou. In response to repeated inquiries for the powder 

 Mr. Henry C, Squires, of No. 178 Broadway, this cit}^ has 

 imported a stock, and advises us that it is now ready, as 

 will be seen by a notice in our advertising columns. The 

 powder stands very high in England, and will doubtless 

 meet with favor among those on this side of the big pond 

 who are very particular about their ammunition. 



Buffalo Robes, — Soon the American bison will rank 

 with the ichthyosaurus and the dodo. This season's ship- 

 ment of robes from Wolf Point, Poplar River and Berthold— 

 a few years ago sources of immense supply — consisted of one 

 bale, in which were three and a half full robes, two splits 

 and four calf skins. At Winnipeg there may be 1,000 robes 

 in store, held over from last season, and they represent Can- 

 ada's total — *SY.. Paid Pioimr Press, Aug. 19. 



Fort Reno, Ind. Ter., Aug. 31.— Chickens are unusually 

 scarce here this season, the birds being very much scattered. 

 Think the cold spring prevented all except late broods from 

 hatching out. Quail promise to be plent}^ turlieys ditto, 

 deer fair. The duck season will depend, to a great extent, 

 on the fall rains. A dry fall means few ducks with us. 

 Plover are exceptionally scarce, but very fat. — C. H. C. 



Martlaio). — Fair Hill, Cecil Co., Md. — The prospects 

 for quail in this section are not good. There seem to be 

 enough old birds, but I have not seen nor heard of a covey 

 of young ones. Rabbits are plenty and squirrels very 

 scarce.— E. S. G. 



Pennsylvania.— Somerset. Aug. 25. — Ruffed grouse, here 

 called pheasants, will be very scarce here this year. A very 

 hard winter and forest fires have brought about this result. 

 Just in this neighborhood there are no quail or Bob Whites. 

 — Amateur. 



The St. Louis Convention, to be held in that city Sept. 

 2D, is attracting much attention in the West and Southwest, 

 and the promoters anticipate a large gathering of representa- 

 tives from the various sections. 



§^mfi Sin S^i^^^WS^* 



"That reminds me." 

 167. 



ONE of the best shots of the Audubon Club of Chicago 

 was John T. Abbey, long since gathered to his fathers. 

 The club used to adjourn to the little suburb qf Lyons on 

 Saturday afternoons to indulge in a little trap-shooting. 

 One day Old S., who was known to most of the club, drove 

 by and hearing the shooting, stopped to see the fun. Now, 

 old S. was no sportsman and had not handled a gun since 

 boyhood, but shooting pigeons from a trap seemed to him 

 mighty easy work. He rallied the boys a little about their 

 •wa'nt of success and allowed that he could do a great deal 

 better himself. Some of them seeing a chance for a little 

 fun, tipped the wink to the others and egging the old man 

 on got him to challenge Sid K,, one of the best shots of the 

 club. Sid accepted the challenge and the match war ar- 

 ranged for the next Saturday, ten birds each, the loser to pay 

 for a supper for the club. When the da}^ arrived the club 

 tm^ned out in force to see the fun. Sid shot [first, at old S.'s 

 request, who "kinder wanted to see how the thing was done," 

 and missed his bird. Then the old man was placed in posi- 

 tion with a gun which had been selected for his use and 

 kindly loaded for him. Meantime Geo. Abbey stepped be- 

 hind a tree, gun in hand, and at the instant the old man cut 

 loose George did the same and down tumbled the pigeon. 

 This thing was kept up all through the match, Sid getting 

 eight birds, the old man (George Abbey) ten, the boys mean- 

 time keeping up such a fusilade that old S. never suspected 

 but what they fell to his gun. The whole thing furnished a 

 world of fun to the boys, and the true inwardness of that 

 match never dawned upon S. He got pretty well pounded up 

 with the big loads the boys fixed for him, but that wore off 

 in a week, and the supper was paid for by Sid; he refusing to 

 allow the others to chip in as had been agreed upon. 



Harry Hunter. 



Illinois. 



Three enterprising eel-pot fishermen have been reaping a 

 substantial harvest this summer by poisoning the sea gulls 

 that have resorted to the bay. They watch the shoals where 

 the bhds go to feed, and then knock them out by putting 

 small fish charg ed with arsenic or strychnine on the bai's. 

 The birds thus killed bi-ing from fifty to seventy-five cents each 

 fi-omthe leather dealers in this city. Five years ago thou- 

 sands of sea birds congregated on the sand bars of Shlnnecock; 

 to-day not half a dozen can be seen. Some time ago a whale 

 came ashore on the beach abreast of the lighthouse. When 

 the bone a,nd blubber were cut out the poisoners commenced 

 operations. Hundreds of gulls and terns of all sizes hovered 

 over the CEu-cass of the fish one morning; by afternoon the 

 sand and surf were covered with the dead gulls. The matter 

 was kept quiet, and since then the business has been worked 

 for all it was Vfovth—New York Sun, 



mtd ^ivet ^isMng. 



Address all comtntmications to the Forfst and Stream Publinh- 

 ing Co. 



LESTER RIVER. 



IN the first few warm days that came in May amid the 

 blustering east winds, and before the ice had melted 

 from the rocky head lands, a hungry angler (trout hungry I) 

 was trudging along the road leading east from Duluth, 

 bound for this famous trout stream. Old Lake Superior 

 shimmered and rippled in the bright sunshine, and despite 

 the huge masses of ice floating in the bay it was truly an 

 enchanting and a beautiful sight to a wearied and half-sick 

 angler, who for months had 1[)eeu pent up amid frost and 

 snows, and who for two svunmers had not wetted a line in a 

 trout stream or creek. Plodding along mile after mile until 

 seven of them were reckoned, the road suddenly ended at a 

 w^ashed-out bridge. Toward the lake shore we looked upon 

 huge piles of ice white and glistening, but as firm as in 

 January; though lovely to look on, especially when its 

 scintillations da/zled even to paining the eyes, yet to a trout 

 angler who almost longed for some of these gamy fishes, 

 these ice-bound cliffs brought out a sense of weakness and 

 a certain hesitancy about "entering this rushing stream that 

 lies^ so far below us. For the first time in many years' ex- 

 perience we dreaded this cold water, but the roar, as of a 

 mighty torrent, came down the ravine and excited our 

 curiosity, so taking up the rod we plunged into the deep 

 thickets until we found a trail. Another moment and a mass 

 of foaming waters leaping and tumbling over a pile of blue 

 rocks into a whirling pool came into our range of vision. 

 We sat down and contemplated this beautiful sight for some 

 minutes. Down fifty feet below us these waters swirled and 

 rushed, just broken loose from the winter's snow and ice. 

 Though feeblc-kneed and faltering wo determined to climb 

 down to the gravelty sides of the stream iuid try if any trolit 

 had their home in this pool. 



It was a risky piece of business to one so long Unused to 

 climbing and already tired out by the long walk, but by 

 hanging to roots and branches we slipped and tumbled, com- 

 ing right side up at the bottom, rod and all. We speedily 

 jointed this, put in reel and line, attached a new leader, 

 leaving this to soak, while we sat down and watched for 

 symptoms of flies upon the water. No fly! no sign of a 

 break! only the faintest indications of a trout in the dark, 

 boiling waters as they rushed by me. We sat on a big rock 

 enjoying the warm sunshine, and with that inherent love for 

 the mas.sive, the grand, the beautiful in nature, our eyes 

 followed the scaiTed lines in the rocks towering high above 

 us. The winds sung and soughed in the pines above us, but 

 it was in the treetops; scarce a breath came into this pool. 

 We sat dreamy and wondering, no hum of insects, no voice 

 of birds, no sound of hammer, no lowing of cattle; but the 

 changeful monotone of the flood pouring over the rocks. 

 Other scenes, other fishing days passed befox'e the memory, 

 until we wondered if the sun of our life was on the down- 

 ward trend, and such scenes as these showed how weak one 

 can become. 



Gathering the thoughts that were straggling into our 

 knowledge' box we opened the fly-book and put on two 

 favorite.^, and in a few minutes the nerve force gathered at 

 the bidding of the will, and the flies were lightly lying out 

 forty feet from us, at the very eddy of the falls. We did not 

 know we could do it, but it was done, and we attempted a 

 longer cast, but could not lay out another foot of line. There 

 was a corner in the rocks I wanted to drop my tail fly into, 

 and could not reach it. Into the water I plunged knee deep, 

 made the ca.st and then another, succeeding In hooking a 

 fish which from its fighting I Iwok to be a trout. This I led 

 into my landing net and as quickly unhooked and dashed the 

 bea&tie amid the huge boulders. It was a horned dace, ugh ! 

 the wretch to thus desecrate a trout pool and violate the 

 nho(Xe ol 8. fontinalis. A closer inspection showed me the 

 pool was full of them. 



My exercise and the excitement had warmed every drop 

 of blood in my body, and though the water was cold I re- 

 mained in it. Dropping down stream to a bend in the river 

 below a series of riffs, we again took water at the head of a 

 big pool, we fished carefully, often changing flies, but with 

 no success. At times a big form seemed to roll up to the 

 fly as it sunk below the surface, coolly examine it and turn 

 again under the shadow of the big rocks. We determined 

 to try bait, It was evident to the mind that some big fel- 

 lows—lakers—held possession of this pool, and had driven 

 all the small fish away. We determined to give them some- 

 thing they would look at. The.y are cannibals (we have 

 smce caught them, and found young brook trout in their 

 throats hardly marred); so we put on a fly spoon— a miller 

 fly — dropped it carefully into a mass of foam, allowed it to 

 sink through, and then quietly played it. Instantly 1 felt 

 the tug and struck home. I knew my fish, though I had 

 never handled one of them before in these waters. My little 

 rod bent and sprung, but there was no giving out, until I 

 lifted him to the gravel at my feet, and then sat down to 

 admire him. T do not wonder at the enthusiasm evinced by 

 some anglers. These fresh-run trout are beautiful fish, as 

 handsome as a salmon, yet having some of the coloring of 

 the brook ti out. 



I was satisfied that trout were in this pool; so, taking oft' 

 the fly I determined to try a big lake fly and sink them. 

 Putting on an Alexandra, I again cast into a mass of foam, 

 allowed my fly to drift down stream into it and sink. I 

 could see nothing, but judged by the .sense of feeling, I 

 struck and missed ; every time a fleck of foam came down 

 stream I cast into it, and every time found I had a tug. 

 Finally I struck quick and hooked, played, and landed an- 

 other, the match of my first. 



I worked hard for these trout, and under ordinary circum- 

 stances would condemn the use of either of these flies. The 

 fishing with them is barbarous, and is only excusable when 

 big trout hold a pool and drive everything out. The Alexan- 

 dra is, I deem, as dangerous as a minnow, and experience has 

 proved to me its killing powers. _ I know both mine whui 

 and spin almost as a bass spoon will. 



I unjointed my rod and at once tramped off homeward, 

 slowly and fagged out, as the electric lights of Duluth came 

 into sight; but I was content, and determined to wait until 

 the mosquito got in his work and the flies began to buzz ere 

 I again visitecT Lester River. My string of trout would sat- 

 isfy an epicure. You can imagine how a trout-hungry 

 angler would enjoy them. 



A month later the stream had run down, the sun was high 

 in the heavens, the ping of the "skeeter" was abroad in the 

 land, the birds had come, the trees were putting on their 



spring costume, nature was smiling. The same angler, with 

 an elastic step, made the seven miles in an hour and a half, 

 and in a few minutes had pulled on v/ading boots and was 

 into the water. A belted kingfisher began scolding and chat- 

 tering at me for invading his domain. Another came, and 

 then another, until I was enjoying a free concert of not very 

 entrancing music. They are bold .and predacious, anti 

 resented in their own style the brown-coated biped waving a 

 slender wand across the stream at them. I longed for my 

 .22 rifle to get a specimen of these fine birds. They caught 

 fish if 1 caught none, for once in a while they dash into the 

 water within ca!3ting distance of me, and came up with a fish 

 in their long bills. 



After soaking my leader I put on two flies, a needle-eyed 

 coachman, a Seth Green, and left a loop at the bottom for 

 something else. I ca.st out across the stream and found only 

 small ones rose at the flics. I changed many times, but failed 

 of hooking trout. I could see them come to the surface of 

 the water, inspect the (lies and at once turn heads down, I 

 knew what this meant, and like "Nessmuk,*' I adopted a 

 ruse to beguile the troUt, or I should go home with an empty 

 creel. 1 had taken with me some red worms, well scoured 

 in damp moss. I slipped into my lower loop a Kinsey hook 

 and put on a small worm for my tail fly, I cast out care- 

 full}^ under tiie rocks and made a commotion. I saw three 

 large trout dash for my worm and &j. Strange enough I 

 caught on the Seth Green the largest trout of the lot. We 

 had plenty of fun, many rises, many strikes, and the num- 

 ber taken with a fly was just about one-half of the whole 

 number caught. We thought we knew something of the 

 strange fancies of Salmliuus, but this action beat all our past 

 experience. We cast for an hour without hooking a single 

 trout; they didn't want flics; yet, as soon as I put on a worm, 

 I began to get as manj^ with flies as 1 did with my worm 

 bait 



I understand fully some of the brothers of the angle will 

 be ready to upbraid and cry, "Out on him for an an angler!" 

 Keep cool brothers! I love fine fishing with the best of you, 

 and boast of as flue tackle as any of you, and Use them too. 

 But when trout are as capricious and subtle as are these 

 Superior trout, and as John L. Stockton, known to many 

 readers of Forest and Streau, said to me years ago, "T., 

 the trout along the nor(;h shore of Lake Superior are barbar- 

 ians; you must humor their whims and fancies. When they 

 womt take your flics, put a worm on the t^ail of the line, or a 

 tip of a worm on the tail fly, and you will fetch them every 

 time." In the remaining hour I caught sixteen as handsome 

 fish as 1 ever brought to creel, some of them going over a 

 pound weight. 1 turned my steps homeward, no halting 

 footsteps or weak knees this time, but with a sturdy swinging 

 gait. 



Many times since that June afternoon, when harassed and 

 perplexed, we have taken the implements of war and started 

 for Lester River; we come home calm and refreshed, and a 

 good number of trout in the creel, all of them of good size. 

 Trout weighing two and a half pounds have been caught 

 there this summer, and some higher than this, but these 

 were rare fish. 



I want to say a word about these north shore streams. 

 Somehow they have been belied, and objections raised 

 against them, principally the expense in getting to them. 

 Some instances have come to my knowledge where parties 

 coming from Illinois, Missouri and Kentucky have been 

 turned'aside from a trip to Duluth and the north shore by 

 persons interested in the park region of Minnesota, telling 

 these gentlemen that one cannot get to the streams without 

 hiring a tug to convey fi.shermen to ihem, and you risk the 

 chances of getting home again. This is false. The means 

 of communication with the fishing waters are very frequent 

 and easy. Boarding can be obtained, sweet and clean food 

 and plenty of it, fresh milk, abundance of wild raspberries, 

 "just slathers of them," as TJncle Dan says in "Kingfisher's" 

 le'ttei-s, and good beds. But the best way to enjoy fishing is 

 to get a kindred spirit, hire a boat, take a tent along, some 

 camp fixtures and a U. S. survey chart of this end of Lake 

 Superior. The steamers running from Duluth will drop 

 you at almost any point you may wish to stop. I wish "Kit 

 Clarke" could be induced to come a little turt])er up Supe- 

 rior and enjoy some of the finest fishing he has ever seen. 



I anticipate another summer to visit Isle Royale, and 

 though my wife and boy are my companions on these fish- 

 ing trips, yet I hope to induce some gentlemen who love 

 trout fishing to visit this lovely isle. 



Of these streams nearer Duluth I will say something in 

 the future. W. David Tojilin. 



Duluth, Blinn. 



RANGELEY LAKE AND BEYOND. 



WE drove from Bethel to Phillips with our team sixty 

 miles in one day the last v.'eek in August. The next 

 day drove to Rangeley, twenty miles, and down the length 

 of the lake, ten miles, to Mountain View House, where we 

 left our team and crossed the carry to Mooselucmaguntic 

 House, where we took a small boat and rowed up through 

 Cupsuptic Lake to Billy Soule's camp on Pleasant Island, 

 near the mouth of Cupsuptic River — a good center for fish- 

 ing or hunting. Some of the largest trout are taken near 

 this camp, and large game is abundant near by; in fact we 

 saw tracks and roads of moose, caribou and deer \v ithin two 

 miles of his camp. I saw lady guests at his camp, among 

 whom was JMi'S. C. H. Ottignon, late superintendent of Camp 

 Kennebago, Indian Rock, where the famous Oquossoc Ang- 

 ling Club make their headquarters. Mrs. O- graciously 

 directs camp aft'airs, and entertains other guests when the- 

 camp is crowded, which makes everything pleasant for all 

 concerned. Miss Cornelia T. Crosby, of PhiUips, was also 

 among the guests. She is a reporter for some journals. 

 Billy Soule is a son of the old original hunter, Geo. Soule, 

 one of the first white hunters of these lakes, and he inherits 

 much of his father's genius for the craft. Billy_ will guide 

 a hunting or fishing party to sure success, and his location 

 is as good, if not the best, for fish and game of all the lake; 

 country His address is Indian Rock, Me. 



I saw many small boats, anchored in deep water in the big- 

 lake, fishing for big trout by sinking near the bottom. Many 

 large ones, of from three to' eight pounds, are taken daily in 

 this manner. During September trout congregate at certain 

 points, preparatory to moving on to their spawning grounds, 

 and will take the fly at these places all through the month. 

 The big lake is drained down to its natural level, owing to a 

 breakage in the dam, and we predict a good catch of trout 

 this fan. 



Large game is very abundant -this season. Many bears 

 have been"killed all through the lake country, and still they 

 ravage among the flocks of sheep on the farms near the verge 

 of the forest. Moose, caribou and deer fill the woods. 



The Mountain View House, at the outlet of Rangeley Lake, 



