4 38 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



lDec. 20, 1888, 



Jfi»# and §tier Joshing. 



AN OUTING ON THE BIG HURON. 



I HAD just gone up to Marquette from my Crooked 

 Lake oamp, where I had spent five weeks catching 

 trout in the creek and eating lotos under the shadow of 

 the hemlocks. Mahel and Mark had gone home, while 

 Mrs. B. and I were purposing further rambliogs up and 

 down the railroad. All our camp equipage, including 

 my tishing and hunting outfit, was packed away ready 

 for shipment whenever we concluded to turn our laces 

 homeward. It was about ten A. M. of the last Tuesday 

 in August, and I had gone to the street to make a little 

 purchase preparatory for our journey to the Sault Rapids 

 on the morrow, when Mr. George O. Somers, then the 

 traveling passenger agent of the Duluth, South Shore & 

 Atlantic Railway, ran against me and at once asked, 

 "Don't you want to go a-fisbing?" Of couise I did, but a 

 wiser man than I would doubtless hare answered "No." 

 If, however, I have one virtue more fully developed than 

 another it is the one which allows of no lying when asked 

 such a question. I always want to go, and promptly 

 answered the passenger man "Yes," but added that I did 

 not see how I could compass it. "0, yes, you can,*' 

 answered he breezily, adding that "Mr. Allen is looking 

 for you," and away he went to make ready for his jour- 

 ney. Less than half a square's walk brought me face to 

 f ce with Mr. Allen, whom I had not seen for a year. 

 "Dm't you want to go a-fi-hing?" was his greeting. 

 "W!ry, confound it all. yes." I answered, somewhat im- 

 patiently, I fear, but before I could explain he replied, 

 "WelJ, then go and get ready; we are going to the mouth 

 of the Big Huron, and the train leaves at 1:45. I have all 

 the arrangements made. Good bye," and away he w-ent. 



I forgot my errand and started at once for my hotel to 

 consult my wife. I thought I would go and ask her 

 what she thought about it, but before I got there I 

 changed my mind. It seemed to me that the better way 

 was to tell her I was going and then hear what she had 

 to say. I was the more iuclined to this course, inasmuch 

 as she had gotten it into her head that I had not got as 

 much out of my Crooked Lake camping the present year 

 as usual, on account of her own and Mabel's presence. 

 The truth is I had done my utmost to make their outing 

 a success, and had not failed in my efforts either. I had, 

 nevertheless enjoyed myself fishing as much as ever 

 before. Still, she had been insisting that I should leave 

 her at some good place aud go a week "with a man" to 

 even up, and now, thought I, here is the chance; and so 

 I went in and boldly told her I was going. And "Barkis 

 was willm'." "I'm glad of it," said she, "for I have ju>t 

 broken a tooth, and it will take a dentist ever so long to 

 mend it, and besides you can have a good time with a 

 man." 



I was not long in unpacking and repacking, and at the 

 appointed hour, armed with rod and creel, I met, on the. 

 depot platform, Mr. Allen, the assistant secretary and 

 assistant treasurer of the D. S. S. & A. R'y, and M)-. 

 Somers, both of whom were accoutred for an outing on 

 the Big Huron. By rail we were to go up the country 

 about sixty miles to Baraga, at the head of the Keweenaw 

 Bay, on Lake Superior. Here we were to be picked up 

 by a lumber company's steam tug, which was to carry us 

 down to the niouth of the Big Huron, and, on the follow- 

 ing S-tturday, return for us and carry us back to Baraga. 

 Henry, turough whose veins ran three drops of Gallic 

 blood to one of Chippewa, accompanied us as guide, cook 

 and camp maker. He was a splendid specimen of physical 

 manhood and well versed in woodcraft, having taken a 

 thorough course of training as hunter, trapper and land- 

 looker. The road fiom Marquette up to Baraga is full of 

 interest to the occasional traveler. The Negaunee and 

 Ishpeming^ n-on mines and furnaces, the steep grades and 

 diorite hills, the beautiful lakes and rushing trout streams 

 that were passed, presented a panoramic series of views 

 that were highly entertaining. 



At Baraga Mr. M. J. Bourke, the agent of the lumber 

 company, met us He had purposed becoming a member 

 of our party, but business engagments forbidding, he 

 contented himself with showing such hospitality as his 

 friendship for my two companions warranted, and which 

 the fisherman rarely meets with, while his amiable wife, 

 not to be outdone, turned over for our use her pleasure 

 boat, and an elegant Racine affair it was. A little before 

 sundown the tug A. W. Colton, commanded by Captain 

 Chamberlin, having taken us and our impedimenta 

 aboard, steamel out of the harbor and laid her course 

 down the bay for a po'nt where the North Star would 

 appear at a later hour. The journey was one long to be 

 remembered. We were in a region of traditions as well 

 as of great scenic beauty. The early French explorers 

 were drawn to the place, and here it is believed that 

 Father Mesuard, a missionary of the seventeenth century, 

 was murdered by those he came to succor. Certain it is, 

 to this region, well peopled as it was and abounding in 

 savage plenty, the early couriers des bois came to ex- 

 change trinkets for lure, and in the beginning of the 

 present century they were followed by the agents of the 

 American Fur Company, who established a post here. 

 As we steam down the bay we see to our left the little 

 wooden church of the Catholic Mission and the humble 

 cabins of the converts that surround it. On the opposite 

 shore is the chapel of the Methodist mission and their 

 little wooden village. The sun has gone down in red 

 splendor behind the Houghton hills, and one by one the 

 stars com e out. As we roun d Poin t Abbey e we look back 

 and see the Portage entry light, and far above and beyond 

 that, on the Hancock Hills, lights gleam faintly from out 

 the delicate amethystine tints of the western sky To 

 the north of these, from a lof ty and equal height, two 

 electric lights mark the place of the two world famous 

 copper mines. Calumet and Hecla, and as the night wears 

 cm and 1 he twilight finally disappears, these lights will 

 fairly rival m beauty and intensity those stellar twins of 

 the sky, Castor and Pollux. 



-D T - h< ; fi\ W ' Colfc ? n has alreacI y begun to forge round 

 Point Abbe-ye, and the Huron Island light shines from 

 over her port bow. Down the lake shore to the south- 

 eastward rises a dark wall that in the mists and gloom of 

 the night we would take to be a rising cloud, did we not 

 know u, marked the outline of the Huron Mountains, 

 it is through a cleft in these mountains that the Big 

 Huron River dashes its mad way into the wooded plain 

 g ti W a llxe few mileH between their foot and the lake 



Bright and early Wednesday morning we set out on a 



voyage up stream. We found the river, for the distance 

 of a mile or more, from 40 to 00yds. in width, and uni- 

 formly quite deep. The wind was from the north and a 

 decided current set in from the lake up stream. At a 

 distance of a half mile or so we passed a party of campers 

 Avho told us a discouraging story anent the trout fishing 

 in the Big Huron. We rowed up about two miles in all, 

 in the last one of which wo passed several promising 

 looking pools. Gaining the second flood wood we saw it 

 was true as we had been told, that we could not pass in 

 our boat beyond, and we therefore made fast. In the 

 deep water at the upper edge of the flood wood numerous 

 large trout were seen and here my companions sat down 

 and began siege. As for me I went on up the stream, 

 finding it easy wading and a good many hiding places 

 for trout. The stream, as far as we examined it, was 

 clear of brush and gave free fishing. I used both flies 

 and worms, changing frequently, and took fish with one 

 or the other, according to the whim of the particular fish. 



On our return in the afternoon we found the water 

 making quite a current toward the lake, the north wind 

 of the morning haviug given way to an afternoon breeze 

 from the south. The day had been pleasant, and as the 

 sun descended toward the horizon not a cloud was to lie 

 seen. On this and the two succeeding afternoons, while 

 descending the stream, we were charmed with the great 

 reflective beauty of the Big Huron waters. Sky and 

 cloud, tree and branch, and weed and flower, were per- 

 fectly imaged in then- mirror like surface. Time and 

 time again did we cease rowing that we might look down 

 into a world below, as perfect in form and color as the 

 world above, and never did we cease to wonder at the 

 transcendent beauty of the dual images presented to our 

 view. 



On Thursday we went up stream again, in spite of the 

 advice of Henry, who at some former time had fished 

 with success in the Little Huron, which debouched into 

 the lake about two miles lurther down. He affected to 

 think we ought to do much better than we had done the 

 first day, though we felt satisfied with our work. Seeing 

 that we were determined to stick to the Big Huron. 

 Henry, as soon as were gone, set out for the Little Huron, 

 and I doubt not he felt sure of surprising us on our re- 

 turn in the evening. A few hundred yards below the 

 flood wood was a large and deep pool, in which we had 

 seen, on our first journey up, several fine fish. Here we 

 stopped on this second morning, and in a short time I 

 hooked a good pound-and-a-half fish, which made an ex- 

 ceedingly lively fight. Hardly was my quarry landed 

 when the passenger man yanked one that went a good 

 quarter better. This put the secretary on his mettle, but 

 in vain did he, or we, angle further that day in that pool. 

 The first day he had been careful to keep his feet dry, 

 but having made up his mind to catch a good trout or 

 "bust," he rjlunged into the water and waded thence on 

 till the end of our fishing. 



Mr. Allen was a bass, rather than a trout, fisherman 

 and, in spite of him, the speckled fellows got away. He 

 wielded a 4oz. split-bamboo rod, wluch he prized too 

 highly to make the scape goat of his misfortunes, but 

 praised the rod and took the blame to himself. He and 

 I went up the stream this second day further than I had 

 gone the day before, but it was not until afternoon that 

 he began to get the "hang of it," as he said. Twelve 

 handsome trout he brought to his creel, most of them in 

 less than an hour, and if the passenger man did have the 

 biggest fish, and 1 the next, the Secretary had the most. 



On our return we confounded Henry not only with 

 the size, but the numbers of our catch. We had about 

 thirty in all, among which were several half and three- 

 quarter pounders, in addition to the two big ones men- 

 tioned above. Henry had been to his Little Huron, 

 footed it all the way there and back, and caught not a 

 single fish. But he had returned iu time to re-layer our 

 bed with browse and carry up a wagon load of wood 

 for the night fire, and have a steaming hot supper ready 

 for the table. Dear me how tired we all were that 

 night! Before our blazing fire Somers and I sat down 

 ;for a smoke after eating Henry's substantial supper, but 

 before our cigars were half doue, Allen tumbled over on 

 a pile of blankets and went to sleep. Less than three 

 months before he had been in the mountains of North 

 Carolina in search of health, and now here he was wad- 

 ing and thrashing around in the cold waters of the Big- 

 Huron as if he had never known a day's sickness in his 

 life. 



Friday morning brought with it the last day of the 

 open season for trout and the last day of our outing, and 

 earlier than either of the days before, we ascended the 

 river preparatory to our day's work. But the day was 

 not fortuitous. The wind was in the east, the sun shone 

 with a hard white light and the air was without mel 

 lowness and geniality. In vain we tried the pool where 

 the big ones were caught on Thursday; in vain we 

 tried all the holes in which I had been successful in both 

 days before. We had gone beyond our utmost limit of 

 the former days and I do not remember that any of us 

 had taken a trout. Certainly I had not. At length we 

 came to a spot where it looked as though a trout could 

 hide and I made a cast over by a log but without reward. 

 The place appeared better the more I looked at it and I 

 made several casts next the log, but all in vain. Next I 

 cast over the pool to one side and after suffering my bait 

 to settle, I undertook to recover my line and found that 

 I was fast. Presently I recovered and threw in again. 

 This time I thought I had made fast for good, but on a 

 steady pull I found I was hooked to a monster trout. I 

 brought it out of deep into shallow water, where I could 

 see it, but with a flounce it was loosed and disappeared. 



At this instant the Secretary crossed the stream above 

 on a sunken log, and, the fight being favorable, he saw 

 the trout as it dropped to its place after leaving my hook, 

 and at once offered it his bait. I said to him as' he did 

 so, "That is useless, for he has felt the prick of my hook 

 and will not bite again this morning;" but hardly were 

 the^ words out when the fisherman struck and immedi- 

 ately rushed across to my side of the stream. For a brief 

 space I never saw a livelier combat. There was no room 

 for playing his fish, and so the Secretary held on for dear 

 lite while I rushed in with a short-handled landing net to 

 attempt a quick capture. Once it dashed around the 

 only snag that I could see in the pool, and I thought it 

 would smash the leader sure; but the next moment it was 

 free. Somehow it got the line between my legs, and 

 somehow I got out of the way and the line was once more 

 free After a good many misses the fish was scooped and 

 safely landed oh the gravel. 



What was Allen doing? I don't remember to have seen 

 him between the beginning and the ending of the fight, 

 and very likely he didn't see me. I heard his version of 

 the story afterward, and according to that he had never 

 been quite so busy for a stretch of fifteen minutes before 

 in all his life, and I doubt if he was conscious of my pres- 

 ence at all during the whole time, save perhaps when his 

 game ran between my legs. It didn't take fifteen min- 

 utes, however, to land that fish. My opinion is that it 

 was hooked and landed in less than two and a half: but 

 right here is room for great difference of opinion. I 

 never knew a fisherman to hold his watch in his hand 

 while bringing a fish to creel, and till something of the 

 sort is done we must expect more or less conflict of opin- 

 ion as to the time spent in each particular case. My! but 

 wasn't it a beauty? Its markings were as perfect and 

 bright as if it had come from some, shaded mountain 

 stream. We had no scales with us, but after it had been 

 out of the water something over twenty-six hours it 

 kicked the beam at 31bs. lOoz. It measured 22in. from 

 tip to tip, and, according to the rule in such cases, it 

 ought to have weighed when first taken 4ibs. 5I-oz. But 

 the Secretary is modest. In a letter now before me he 

 writes, "I think he was undoubtedly a 4-pound fish when 

 taken from the water," I think so, too. 



The passenger man was not present during the rencon- 

 tre, having gone on up stream, No sooner was the fish 

 landed and killed than we shouted so lustily that he was 

 led to believe we had encountered a lynx or bear at the 

 least, and with cocked revolver he came running his best 

 to our relief. The Secretary, in his hour of triumph, felt 

 that he had enough fishing for one day, and so set out for 

 the boat, and we might as well have followed him, for 

 although we went on up the stream to the foot of the hill, 

 passing over as pretty a range of clear, swift water, inter- 

 spersed with limpid pools as I ever saw, we got never a 

 rise. Earlier in the season we would doubtless have nipt 

 with excellent sport here, or perhaps had we gone stdl 

 higher, as it was. we might have had better success. 

 Henry, who knew the country well, assured us that "ton 

 miles up the fishing was good— very good," but we shrunk 

 from so long a tramp. 



The next morning at six o'clock the long whistle of the 

 A. W. Colton was heard and the bustle of breaking camp 

 began in earnest. In due time we were aboard and on 

 our return voyage. If our night journey had been 

 pleasant, our morning one was doubly so. Whoever has 

 seen, felt and drank in the limpid Lake Superior atmos- 

 phere of a frosty August morning, may. in fancy, catch 

 a glimpse of the scenes around us. Looking back toward 

 the little wreath of blue smoke marking the site of our 

 1 morning camp-fire, we saw far above and beyond it the 

 1 Huron Mountains' fi.-sured and sylvan slides softened into 

 wavy outlines in the rising mists of the morning. Close 

 to their northern terminus and well up toward the summit 

 Mr. Allen pointed out a level area marking the seat of 

 Mountain Lake, a sparkling sheet of spring water abound- 

 ing in choice varieties of fish. Lower down, and between 

 Mountain Lake and Lake Superior, lies Pine Lake, and 

 back of that to the eastward is Ives Lake. AH these 

 lakes and their inflowing and outflowing streams are 

 filled with fish peculiar to these cold northern waters, 

 such as pike, pike perch, bass, mascalonge, trout, and 

 even a species of landlocked lake trout, while in the 

 forests that cover the. mountains and grow in the valleys 

 deer and ruffed grouse are reasonably plentiful, and bear 

 and lynx and wolves are occa-ionally seen. Turning 

 from this glorious southeastern mountain prospect, we 

 see out in the lake to the northeastward, not le3s than 

 three miles away, the Huron Islands, vast and rugged 

 blocks of granite, some of which lift their treeless 

 and ice-carved heads more than two thousand feet above 

 the lake's level. In the opposite quarter is Point Abbeye, 

 a long sliver of rock, tree- covered to the waters edge, and 

 for many miles dividing the waters of Keweenaw Bay 

 from the waters of the great lake. It is more than three 

 miles to the end of the point, but Henry calls our attention 

 to its wall of perpendicular rock and tells us a story of 

 trout fishing off the rocks at that point that sets us plan- 

 ning for a next year's campaign. 



Our view is not exhausted. Casting our eyes west- 

 ward they alight upon the red sandstone cliffs on the 

 east shore line of the Copper Horn, or Kesveenaw Point, 

 ten miles off, and we follow up hat tshore line indented 

 with a succession of bays and points, but steadily curv- 

 ing to the eastward till earth, sky and water indistinctly 

 and tremblingly intermingle. Over all we see the heights 

 of the Keweenaw Mountains, Mounts Houghton, Bohe- 

 mia, Everest and others. Dim and shadowy they rise 

 spectre-like far out over the dancing waters, and as we 

 count their blue-gray summits we wonder not that the 

 aboriginal inhabitants of Keweenaw Bay in imagination 

 peopled that region with Manitous, malevolent and dire. 



There are not many places in this world of ours where 

 there is such an aggregation of scenic beauty as there is 

 here to be seen, and I know of no place along the entire 

 south shore of Lake Superior where the lover of nature 

 could spend a more delightful summer than in this 

 region. It was my good fortuue not many years agone 

 to sail up this lake shore from Marquette to' Houghton, 

 and at these Huron Islands to spend several days await- 

 ing the veering of the wind to the right quarter. From 

 the beginning Kesveenaw Bay and all the adjacent waters 

 have been celebrated not only for the quantity, but the 

 quality of their fish. At the time of my stav on the 

 islands I met three or four of the local fishermen who 

 were acquainted with the lake shore from Point Abbeye 

 to Marquette, aud who at one time or another had fished 

 the intervening streams and small lakes adjacent to the 

 shore all the w r ay down, and they spoke in the most 

 glowing terms of Pine River and of Pine and Ives and 

 Mountain lakes as fishing point- 5 , the very ones Mr, Allen 

 had since seen, and of which he also spoke in terms of 

 highest praise. If to the sport we add the scenery, the 

 air, the climate, the water and the camping sites,' none 

 of which can be excelled, we have one of the most charm- 

 ing regions in all this northern country for a sximmer 

 outing. 



The Marquette fishermen do most of their fishing up 

 the lake shore in this direction, but they seldom attain so 

 high a point up shore as the Pine Lake region. All along 

 this lake shore, wherever there are ledges of rock in the 

 lake, there is excellent trout fishing, or "rock fishing," as 

 it is called up here. Some use the fly, some the spoon 

 and some a live minnow, and not infrequently 51b. trout 

 are said to be taken. 



In time for the morning train down, Captain Chamber 



