492 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[July 4, 1889. 



TROUT STREAMS OF SILVER BOW. 



DIVIDE, Silver Bow County, Montana.— The country 

 I am about to describe is little known and only to a 

 few. It abounds in trout, sage hens, grouse, ducks, 

 geese, a few swan, bears, moose, elk, deer and antelope, 

 with also a few buffalo. It is very easily reached, and 

 sport can commence the first day out and continue going 

 in and out. Trie trip also can include a trip to the great 

 National Park. 



The best way to reach this hitherto unknown hunting 

 and fishing locality is from Beaver Canon, a small station 

 on the Utah and Northern Railway, whore a team can be 

 secured, or the sportsman can take stage. The best plan 

 is for three or four to go together and take their own 

 camp outfit, making it as small and simple as possible. 



The first day I went as far as Camas Meadows, distant 

 from Beaver Canon about eighteen miles. Camas Mead- 

 ows is a valley about ten miles long, four or five miles 

 wide; through it run four spring streams, about 10ft. 

 wide, of bright, clear, cold water, and alive with trout 

 running from 4oz. to a pound. 



My first camp was on Indian Spring Creek, in a cabin 

 built by Gen. Sheridan during one of his scouts after 

 Indians. There I stayed eight or nine days, varying my 

 sport with hunting and fishing alternately. The first 

 day's fishing I captured 250 trout, using the fly. One 

 great feature about the fishing here, and in all the streams 

 throughout this part of the country, is that the brush 

 interferes but very little, and that there is no swamp or 

 marshy ground; the streams nearly all rising in one or 

 two large springs. 



Commencing at the springs to fish, the stream is a little 

 wider than lower down; the trout are hard to capture, 

 and it is only by keeping well out of sight that the fisher 

 can hope to allure them from the bright, clear stream. 

 Fishing on, going down, the stream winds through the 

 most beautiful meadowland, running into large holes 

 with riffles in between. Here the fishing is superb. I 

 have taken 30, 40, and as high as 60 trout from one riffle. 

 The other three streams are similar to the one described, 

 all uniting together to form one stream called Camas. 

 The fishing on the main stream is not quite so good as on 

 the small streams, and I think the creek I camped on a 

 little the best. 



My next camp was on Sheridan Creek, about ten miles, 

 from Indian Springs. Here the fishing is better than at 

 Indian Springs, the trout being larger as is the creek, 

 Sheridan is about twenty miles long and heads in the 

 mountains; the first six or seven miles of its course being 

 small; about a mile before it comes out into the valley it 

 is joined by the waters of a very large spring. This part 

 of its course is very rapid, rushing over boulders into 

 holes and strong riffles. The first day I fished from the 

 spring down about a mile, taking about OOlbs. of trout, 

 having among them several that would weigh nearly 

 31bs. The next day I fished two miles down stream. 

 Here the fishing is still better, the holes and riffles being 

 larger and the trout larger and more plentiful. By going 

 a short distance up the mountain here, elk, deer and bear 

 are found plentiful; here is also good duck shooting. 



Ten miles from Sheridan Creek comes Icehouse, formed 

 by a large spring; the water in the creek is so cold that it 

 is only used by the trout during spawning season. Three 

 miles further is Shotgun Creek, formed by Sheridan, 

 Willow and Icehouse creeks and one immense spring. 

 Here is the home of Mr. Geo. Rae and Jas. Dalley, two 

 hunters and fishermen. They have good accommodations 

 and make the sportsman at home. Mr. Rae has put in a 

 small dam across Shotgun, and here the trout are in such 

 numbers that it is impossible to see the bottom. On 

 Shotgun the fishing is very good; one can also get ducks, 

 geese, and antelope, etc., the trout here run from £ to 

 31bs. Shotgun Creek is three miles long and about 300ft. 

 wide; it empties into Snake River about one mile below 

 the crossing and the Snake River Hotel; the hotel is kept 

 by Messrs. Kountz & Caldwell, who are well acquainted 

 with the best hunting and fishing grounds in the country. 

 Here we are now on one of the finest trout streams in 

 America, the river here is about 100yds. wide and just 

 nicely fordable with a team. The river is bright and 

 clear. Crossing you see trout darting about in every 

 direction. Here I procured a boat, and 1 putting in my 

 camp outfit fished down the river about three miles and 

 made camp at the head of some rapids in a beautiful 

 grove of pines. In the morning the deer would come 

 close to camp to drink. The woods here were full of 

 squirrels, jumping and barking in every direction. The 

 next day I was joined by two gentlemen from the hotel, 

 and what sport we did have. Here the fish are very 

 strong and fat, bringing into play all the skill the angler 

 has got before they will succumb. 



My next camp was about three miles above Snake River 

 Hotel. Here the trout are very plentiful and yield all 

 the sport a man wants. My next camp was ten miles 

 from the hotel, at Mr. Geo. Rae's upper camp. Here I 

 got one of Mi". Rae's boats, and would fish up to the spring. 

 This spring almost makes the river, being about 100yds. 

 wide and 3ft. deep, bright, pure water and alive with 

 trout. Here I would fish during the forenoon, then drop 

 slowly down stream fishing along, taking a trout almost 

 every cast. One can form an idea of the numbers of trout 

 here, passing over them in hundreds in schools; indeed, 

 just before sundown they would keep the river in a con- 

 tinual boil, feeding on the black gnat. 



The North Fork of Snake River heads in Henry Lake, 

 a large sheet of water full of trout, situated in the most 

 beautiful scenery, and running through a beautiful valley 

 for ten miles until it joins the waters of the spring. 

 Through this valley run six small spring streams. I 

 fished in one of them a day, taking sixty trout averaging 

 31bs. From Mr. Rae's upper camp ducks, geese, etc. are 

 plentiful, with bear, elk, moose, deer and antelope. The 

 hunter need never go a day without having plenty of 

 sport. 



Returning to Snake River Hotel, I took a trip to High- 

 land Park. Here duck and geese are plentiful, affording 

 the very best of sport. The fishing is very good. In 

 fact, from the start and back, nowhere have I seen such 

 a country for game and fish, and I have fished in 

 Colorado, New York, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Mon- 

 tana, and in various parts of Europe. 



The climate is very good in summer, not hot, with few 

 or hardly any mosquitoes, nights cold. Trout keep good. 

 I did not have any spoil, shipping twice a week from 

 Beaver Canon to my friends. Mr. Bassett runs a Btage 

 from Beaver Canon, B. C, to the National Park, through 



the country I have described. The roads are very good, 

 and accommodation can be got in Camas Meadows at 

 Mr. Sacol. Hancock's, whose wife is a most excellent cook. 

 It is here that you can get troutcooked to perfection, and 

 the best of milk, butter and home made bread. The next 

 place is Mr. Geo. Rae's; next Snake River Hotel. But the 

 best is to have your own outfit, which should include, if 

 possible, a canvas boat for Snake River fishing; then the 

 sportsman can move camp, go and come as he pleases. 



Provisions can be bought in Beaver Canon, but if the 

 hunter or fisher wants anything extra he must bring it 

 with Mm, and above all, plenty of good, fine fishing 

 tackle. For all the trout are so plenty here, they are very 

 dainty and will not jump at anything. T. T, 



A RAINY DAY CONVENIENCE. 



IT was" our last day on the Greenbrier, the day broke 

 gloomy and threatening and we staid around the 

 camp until nearly 10 o'clock to give the weather a chance 

 to do o#e thing or the other, until finaUy it appeared 

 that it had decided to do neither, so Cooke and I put out 

 for the Burnt Camp, determined not to lose the day's 

 fishing, rain or no rain. The trout bit beautifully, and 

 we were entering upon a fine morning's sport, when pat- 

 ter, patter, down came the rain on the leaves of the over- 

 arching trees and through the interstices of their 

 branches into the water. Not wishing to get wet, we 

 sought a partial shelter under the overhanging trunks 

 and thick canopy of leaves of a couple of large trees. 



"I'll tell you what, Charlie," said I, as I began to 

 shiver as the rain continued steadily and the moisture 

 slowly but surely found its way through my heavy flan- 

 nel shirt, chilling my very vitals, "next year I am going 

 to bring out a short cape made of heavy drilling, well 

 oiled, to come down about to my waist and cover my 

 arms; a lubber coat's too bulky and heavy and I don't 

 care for my legs anyway; it will be light and not bulky 

 and can be strapped or tied to the creel, and think what 

 a convenience it would be to-day." 



"It would that, it's a capital idea," said he, as he aban- 

 doned his tree in disgust and strode into the river again, 

 making an experimental cast as he went, the experiment 

 proving an immediate success. "You see, they bite right 

 along, rain or no rain, and here we've not only lost an 

 hour's fine fishing, but are wet and chilled and in no con- 

 dition to fish any longer. The cape needn't be long,' 7 he 

 continued, as he reeled in his fine, while I gladly fol- 

 lowed his example, "all a man needs is protection for his 

 chest and vital organs, his legs are wet anyhow from 

 wading. But," he continued, as we made our way back 

 to camp through the drenched and dripping undergrowth, 

 while the rain pattered continuously on the leaves above 

 us, "the cape would be better if made of the oiled or rub- 

 ber cloth sold in the hardware and harness stores for 

 buggy tops, curtains, etc." 



"I don't think so," I replied, "the rubber is hot and 

 heavy, and as I have had considerable experience with 

 the drillings in the shape of canoe aprons, tents, etc., I 

 am confident it is the best material for the purpose." 



"Well, I think I'll take the rubber cloth," he continued, 

 as we reached the camp, and with it warmth, comfort 

 and dry clothing. 



The next summer found us in the mountains again, 

 and this time our outfits were augmented by a cape 

 of oiled drilling apiece. Charles had made and 

 tried his cape of rubber cloth, and had promptly 

 thrown it aside on seeing mine and had provided 

 himself with one of drilling, like it. We had had 

 a week's fishing in the Greenbrier, the water was un- 

 usually low, and the fishing consequently not as good 

 as usual; the trout were small and shy and it persistently 

 refused to rain, so we packed up one fine morning and 

 started for fresh fishing waters. 



We ascended to the very summit of the Alleghany 

 Mountains, the backbone of the eastern half of the con- 

 tinent. A faint trail left the road and turned off into the 

 trees and wound down a steep, dark defile; we climbed 

 down out of the wagons and boldly followed it, the 

 wagons bringing up the rear; down, down, a thousand 

 feet or so below the lofty summit, the steep tree- clothed 

 walls of the gorge. towering above us and shrouding the 

 place in a perpetual twilight. We pitched the camp on 

 the banks of Deer Creek, whose brawling tide we had 

 followed down almost from the summit of the mountains, 

 on a small piece of comparatively level ground which we 

 were fortunate enough to find; rigged up our tackle, 

 strapped our water-proof capes to our creels — for the 

 long- vvished-f or rain was close at hand, now that wc did 

 not want ifc — and went fishing. That was a weird, wild 

 evening's sport we had. The creek was a study for an 

 artist, and worth the visit just to see as it went brawling 

 and tumbling down the mountain. It was a continuous 

 cataract; there were no pools, except the short, deep holes 

 of a few feet in extent between and among the rocks and 

 ledges. It looked like going down stairs to look ahead, 

 and the creek came piling down at you from among the 

 treetops as you looked back, while a mist hung over its 

 entire visible course like the spray from a cataract. 



And the fishing? I took nine trout, all upward of 6in. 

 in length, out of one small hole of a few feet in extent, 

 without moving from my tracks; and that's the way the 

 fishing was. 



Presently the rain came down; so did the creek. 

 Something broke loose somewhere above, and a big wall 

 Of water came roaring down the gulch and piling down 

 that devil's stairway, and there was no more fishing, nor 

 wading either. 



But about the capes? It's remarkable how it takes the 

 enthusiasm out of a man when ho gets the seat of his 

 trousers wet; and as the storm roared and howled, and 

 the rain fell in torrents and whirled around us in great 

 blinding sheets and the water streamed down in rivulets 

 over our shoulders and ran off the edges of our capes, this 

 very Boon occurred, and in a few minutes our lower 

 limbs were thoroughly drenched J but as we were perfectly 

 dry and protected around the shoulders and body, we 

 didn't much mind our- wet legs. In an hour more we 

 were all assembled in our tent again, and while Otey got 

 us up a steaming hot supper under our fly adjoining, we 

 doffed our wet fishing togs, including our capes, and it 

 was found that, although we wore no coats, our flan- 

 nel shirts under the capes were not even damp, and we 

 unanimously voted the capes a brilliant success. 



But the capes? Take 2yds. of heavy drilling, 28 or 30in. 

 wide, cut into two pieces, each 1yd. long, sew together 

 at the selvage, making one piece, 50 to 60in. wide ; cut in 



circular form, making the cape long enough to come 

 well down below the waist, and over the arms to the ends 

 of the coat or shirt sleeves; leave out a little over one- 

 third of the circle for tbe open front, cut to fit the neck 

 closely, put in buttonholes and buttons down the front; 

 oil heavily with boiled linseed oil wi th a little turpentine 

 and Japan dryer in it. The neck may have three or four 

 gores in it to insure a snugger fit, but they are not neces- 

 sary. Make up the goods With the twilled side out. 

 Total cost about 25 cents. Total worth inestimable. 

 Staunton, Va. F. R. Webb. 



CONNECTICUT TROUT STREAMS. 



MIDDLETOWN, Conn., June 14.— Editor Forest and 

 Stream: Trout fishing in this section of the State 

 has been uncommonly good. Not only large catches have 

 been made, but the fish are of good size and in excellent 

 condition. This, I am credibly informed, has been the 

 experience of sportsmen in other parts of the State; and 

 it is universally believed to be the result of the work of 

 the State Fish Commissioners, continued uninterruptedly 

 for about ten years past. 



Last week one of our best fishermen went a short dis- 

 tance from the city for about a half a day. and retiu-ned 

 with such a beautiful string of trout as the following, 

 each fish being carefully weighed: 



One trout weighed lJ41ns 



Three " 1 ' 



Five 

 Six 



=lklbs. 



each =3 lbs. 



=3Mlbs. 



=3 lbs. 



Fifteen trout weighed a total of lllbs. 



The same gentleman has had good luck every time 

 he has been out this season, and he says he has had many 

 years of experience in trouting, but nothing like this. 



Complaints, however, come from all parts of the State 

 against the selfish opposition of riparian owners. Here- 

 tofore, with few exceptions, fishermen have been per- 

 mitted to fish on any stream, private or public, so long as 

 they did no damage to the premises. But now that 

 streams have been so much improved through State 

 liberality, the riparian owners find that they can make 

 large profit out of them by leasing the rights of fishing 

 to clubs and others, and so the public is excluded. The 

 people's money paid for the fish, but the people cannot 

 touch them. 



These unjust claims have led to numberless disputes 

 and some litigation, but so far without any legal results. 

 The Hammonassett Fishing Club of New Haven quietly 

 secured the exclusive right of fishing on the Hammon- 

 assett River — one of the best trout streams in the State — 

 by leasing long stretches of the banks on either side, and 

 posting notices against trespassing. This has naturally 

 provoked a good deal of ill-feeling in this section. The 

 Middlesex County Association for the Protection of Fish 

 and Game, supported by many gentlemen of this city, 

 had given particular attention to this stream, causing it • 

 to be thoroughly stocked by the State Commissioners, 

 and protected at the expense of the association for 

 several years. They looked forward to the time when 

 the river would so abound in fish that the public would 

 find abundant sport there. But the New Haven club 

 claimed to monopolize the river and the people were ex- 

 cluded. After considerable correspondence between the 

 club and the association, it was agreed to test the rights 

 of the public as against the club hy legal proceedings. 

 Upon due notice to the club, agents of the association 

 went upon the river and fished for trout, in the presence 

 of the watchman of the club; and it was understood and 

 expected that a suit for trespass would be brought 

 by the club to test the rights of all parties. But no such 

 suit was brought. This was in the summer of 1888. 

 During the following winter John S. Beach, Esq., the 

 counsel of the club, purchased or leased tracts of land on 

 the bank of the river, which were most attractive to trout 

 fishermen, and then brought a suit in equity against 

 some of the gentlemen who had participated in the above- 

 mentioned trespass, and prayed for the injunction to re- 

 strain them from committing trespass on his premises. 

 This suit was promptly resisted. A motion was then 

 made for a preliminary injunction pending the suit. 

 Before this could be heard the suit was suddenly aban- 

 doned, and nothing further has been attempted. 



There are serious legal questions involved in the matter. 

 In most cases it is almost impossible to show that the 

 riparian owners on streams stocked at State expense had 

 done anything that affected their rights of property in 

 the stream, or that would estop them from defending 

 such rights against all trespassers. And even if it could 

 be shown that they had solicited fry from the State and 

 used it in stocking their private streams, it is claimed 

 that it would not justify the people in trespassing on 

 their premises to catch the fish. These and other points 

 are involved in any lawsuit that may arise. Of course, 

 the monopolists take the high ground that nothing the 

 State can do can prejudice their rights of property. The 

 statute in regard to private ponds is explicit. But not so 

 in regard to private streams. All attempts to frame a 

 law to meet the emergency, even for the future, have 

 proved vain. Unless such a law can be framed, State aid 

 must caase. The State cannot justly continue to spend 

 the people's money for the benefit of a few private clubs 

 or wealthy gentlemen. The opposition to a law upon the 

 subject comes mainly from the farmers, and the prospect 

 now of any relief for the people is far from encouraging. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



We have near our village a beautiful sheet of water, 

 Crystal Lake. Local sportsmen stocked it a number of 

 years ago with black bass and landlocked salmon. Only 

 two or three specimens of the latter have ever been taken. 

 The last one, two years ago, weighed 4jlbs. Yesterday 

 Fred Close and Frank Talcott had the luck to capture one 

 that promptly tipped the scales at 7^1bs. It took 35 min- 

 utes to conquer it. All the old fishermen are wild, and 

 some of them will no doubt postpone Maine trips and 

 camp on Crystal Lake. Bass of 3 to Gibs, are very plenty 

 there, and for the benefit of bass haters I will say I never 

 yet dissected one that showed any symptoms of having 

 dined off either pickerel or perch. 



The past season has been a very flattering one for trout. 

 I never knew so many fine strings being taken of large 

 trout. 



Although very many of our streams aTe posted, yet 

 there are plenty left just as good for all of us, C, W. C, 

 Stafford Springs, Conn,, June 128. 



