March 3G, 1891.] 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



191 



fish, as they do not see you as you cast down just below 

 some large atone, where you find the constant washing of 

 the water has washed the stone away and left a beauti- 

 ful little pool juat below, where Sir Brook Ti'out delights 

 to lie in wait tor some tempting bug or berry. 



Just drop something over to him and see if you do not 

 feel a drop on the tip of your rod. 



The trout's mode of feeding is veiy similar to that of 

 the black bass, which abounds in the Greenbrier River; 

 that is, he is very quick to "catch on." I have often 

 amused myself by going off some 50ffc. from some pretty 

 quiet pool and watched the trout catch flies or any insect 

 flying just above the water, they leaping sometimes clear 

 of the water. 



In these cold clear streams the trout seems to be gor- 

 geously colored and they are just too lovely, and I always 

 want to be taking them in out of the wet. 



I want to say a word about the great enemy of the 

 trout in these streams and the great pest of the anglers 

 thereof. 



They are known out here by the right name, for he is a 

 hellbender. Whether he is a serpent or a snake or an 

 alligator, or whether he has a scientific name or not, I do 

 not known, for I hope he is not known anywhere else in 

 the world. He attains to a length of 14 to i6in. and looks 

 like a young alUgator or a big lizard, and is of an ugly 

 dark brown color. 



Little Clear Creek is about 10 miles long and Big Clear 

 about 18. They rise in the Greenbrier Mountains, in 

 Greenbrier county, W. Va,, and both are good trout 

 streams. Other fishes in these waters are chubs, suckers 

 and stone-toters. Hominy Creek, a tributary of the 

 Cherry, which falls into 'the Gauley, is a fairly good 

 trout stream. _The trees of the region include hemlock, 

 yew pine, poplar, chestnut, linden, ash, oak, birch and 

 beech. 



The scenery in this country is suflSLcient to induce the 

 lover of nature to return should he never catch a trout — 

 but I promised not to spoil it by an effort at description. 



LoiJG Isaac. 



OUR TROUT PRESERVE. 



ABOUT two years since, my brother and myself pur- 

 chased a large tract of land some twelve miles from 

 here. Most of. the land was covered with second growth, 

 affording very good cover for rabbits, partridge and in 

 some seasons woodcock. There was also a small house, 

 which, in the days of staging, had been a wayside inn, a 

 barn in tolerable state of repair and a sawmill. The mill 

 pond and the stream emptying into it were the chief 

 attractions to us. The brook started high up on the 

 mountainside and flowed through wood, pasture and 

 meadow land, over falls and under its banks, beautiful 

 itself and an ideal trout brook. For years this stream 

 had been noted for the large number of trout annually 

 taken from its waters, but continued and persistent fish- 

 ing had sadly reduced the number of fish and taken away 

 much of the pleasure of former years. From the pond, 

 however, with a fly one could, at most any time, take a 

 few fine fish. 



Our object was to protect the brooks and pond, as well 

 as we could, from the market-fishermen and from those 

 whose greatest enjoyment seems to be to bring in a large 

 basket tilled with fish, no matter how small, and boast of 

 the great number they catch. The land was well posted, 

 but we gave all our friends a standing invitation to fish 

 whenever and wherever they pleased, provided only that 

 they w ould put back into the water all trout caught less 

 than tiin . in length. It was a beautiful drive to the brook, 

 througii the woods for most of the \N-ay and past two 

 charming ponds. On the avera,ge during the season once 

 every week we would drive out after lunch, cast a fly 

 for one hoiu' or so, generally catching eight to twelve 

 trout of fair proportions, and return home in the twilight 

 hours. We had hoped the number of trout would in- 

 crease and that during many years to come we might 

 enjoy the w^eekly outing, not so much on account of the 

 fisn which we might be able to catch, but on account of 

 the pleasure derived from the clear fresh air, the scenerv, 

 the drive, in fact, from all the factors which make life 

 out of doors, whether in pursuit of fish or game, so ben- 

 eficial and enjoyable. Our anticipations were, however, 

 soon overthrown; as fast as we could put up notices they 

 were destroyed, the house and barn w^ere repeatedly 

 broken into and nearly every window was demolished. 

 But the climax of all was the damage done to the stream 

 as a stream for the preservation or maintenance of trout, 



One Monday early in July, as we approached the place 

 about two o'clock in the afternoon, to our dismay we dis- 

 covered that there was no water in the pond. Upon ex- 

 amination we found that some person or persona had 

 raised the gate, and what was formerly a pond covering 

 several acres was now only a small stream without the 

 least signs of any trout in it, but worse, for here and there 

 was a small pickerel. If whoever raised the gate had only 

 been wise enough to have lowered it when he had ac- 

 complished his purpose, we might never have known of 

 it, and would probably always have wondered at the sud- 

 den scarcity of trout and the sudden appearance of 

 pickerel, for during the time the gate was raised small 

 pickerel ran up from the larger stream just below, into 

 which our brook empties. 



From the best of proof the pond was full at five o'clock 

 the evening previous, so the time in which the deed was 

 done was limited to about 18 hours. We offered a large 

 reward for evidence sufficient to convict whoever did it, 

 and notified all the proper officials in the vicinity, but 

 there was a wonderful ignorance about the matter. To 

 be sure everybody said it could only be one person (a law- 

 less sort of a fellow who spent most of his time fishing, 

 hunting or trapping for market), to be sure he was seen 

 in that neighborhood about the time of the occurrence, to 

 be sure he sold a very large amount of fish immediately 

 after, and many other small things pointed to that one 

 person, but no ofiioial would proceed in the matter with 

 the evidence obtainable. 



We repaired the damage done to the dam, and last 

 spring placed in the brook 10,000 small trout obtained 

 from the State hatchery. These trout were doing finely 

 late in the autumn, as we took pains to look after them 

 whenever hunting in tJiat vicinity. 



This spring we intend to place as many more fish in the 

 brook, and hope to be able to again have good fishing for 

 ourselves and our friends in our own stream and pond. 



There seems to be a feeling of resentment against any one 

 wj|0 ttien to preserve fish or game in this locality, and ail 



seem to work against his efforts; and also, the majority 

 of people cannot understand how any jjarticular person 

 can claim ownersliip in a fish or garae'bird. 



Besides the market-tisherman, poacher, stealer of fish 

 or whatever you would call him, there aremany who will 

 fish all the day long and save every identical fish they 

 may catch, and in the daily paper of the following day 

 you will read, "Yesterday over there Mr. So and So 

 caught ninety-nine fine trout." There are others, how- 

 ever, who are content with a moderate number of fair- 

 sized fish, and who get as much real enjoyment out of 

 the ride, the views, the lunch and rest at midday, as they 

 do out of the actual time spent in fishing. 



If we could only persuade the former of these two classes 

 that if they would only be satisfied with fewer fish now, 

 in coming years they might continue to enjoy their favor- 

 ite sport; but that unless something is done fishing for 

 trout will be only to the favored few who can possess 

 their own brooks and afford to fully protect them. 



W. H. 



DO NOT DROP THE ROD TIP. 



OF all the cranks known to man since Adam "knew it 

 all," there are few that equal and none excel a 

 fisherman. Let three or four gather together at the 

 corner grocery or club rooms, it matters not which, and 

 immediately the diversified hobbies of each will bubble 

 up like the phantasies of the "Wimodaughsis." They ac- 

 cept no man's ipse dixit. The experience of each is, per 

 se, the only safe and perfect way to success, and while 

 extended and practical knowledge would lead most iier- 

 sons to put by the bad and accept the good, you can no 

 more harmonize the views of these men than you can 

 hope to harmonize the views of the governors of the 

 States of New York and Connecticut; and each remains 

 happy and contented in the ways he has acquired. 



Now, while such noted writers as HenshaU and Hal- 

 lock, and Wells and Gi-een and others do not always en- 

 tertain the same views of doing the same thing, they 

 seem in some instances to have accepted certain vagaries 

 as foregone conclusions; and they lay down as an axiom 

 that when salmon or bass leap from the water in their 

 efforts to free themselves from the hook, "the tip of the 

 rod should always be lowered," on the supposition that 

 otherwise the fish may fall on a taut line and wrench the 

 hook from its hold. 



With great respect for the opinions of these writers and 

 others, as one of the aforesaid "cranks" I beg to state, it 

 has been my experience that dropping the tip of the rod 

 under such circumstances is of all the most fatal way, 

 and will cause more fish to escape than it will save; and 

 while no man can or ever has saved all fish that may be 

 hooked, I have found it a surer way when there be an 

 indication of a bass coming to the surface, to place the 

 rod near the water, the line taut, in the same position you 

 would lay a half hoop on its side. Nearly the entire 

 line is thus under water, you lose no tension nor spring of 

 the rod, and if the fish leap there is no slack, nor can he 

 fall on the line. 



If a bass go to the bottom and remain in one place, 

 with a short, quick, tremulous pull of the line, you may 

 rest assured he is availing himself of some friendly rock 

 or stone to detach the hook from its hold. 



No hesitancy now, to bring the fish from his position, 

 or in nine cases out of ten your hook will come back to 

 you as placidly as a spring flower is swayed by the air 

 of a summer morning. 



There, reader, a "crank" has touched the button, you 

 must do the rest. Try it. Oneovem. 



ANGLING RETREATS OF MAINE. 



IV.— THE MONSON LAKES AND PONDS— CONTINDEP, 



ONE of the most popular resorts for the angler in this 

 entire region is the Twin Doughty ponds. A ride 

 of about two miles from Lake Hebron in a northwesterly 

 direction over the highway known as the "lake road" 

 brings one near the summit of "Doughty hills," where is 

 one of Maine's now famous "abandoned farms," and 

 which was once the humble home of one of the early 

 settlers, Uncle John Doughty, and for whom the places 

 thereabouts are named. He no longer tills and toils on 

 these sloping and rugged acres, but has joined the invis- 

 ible throng who have passed over the dark river. He is 

 not there now to gruffly warn trespassers to ' 'keep off 

 that grass" and to direct them in someweat stentorian 

 tones how to take the most feasible, which is the pasture 

 path to the wilderness, which surrounds the fishing- 

 grounds. 



The long-used walk and well-trodden path is visible, 

 however, which soon leaves the withered pasture with 

 its meek kine and continues through a forest and some 

 swampland to the shore of the first jiond. The distance 

 from the Doughty farmhouse is less than a mile. 



The first pond is not generally as certain for fishing, 

 but the trout are rather larger than in the other. A walk 

 of a few rods in a well defined pathway brings one to the 

 Westerly Doughty Pond. Both are in a wilderness un- 

 changed since it was fashioned by nature's own hand. 



A brook of clear pure water wanders down the decliv- 

 ity between the two, and by its side many anglers have 

 built lodges and camped while enjoying their sport. This 

 is called Cold Brook, and near it are charming places for 

 a sportsman's temporary outing. Only spotted trout in- 

 hibit these waters, and they always take the fly during 

 the months of July, August and September. 



Monson Pond, sometimes called" Goodale," inhonorof 

 an old inhabitant, is the second largest jjond in Monson, 

 lying on the south side of the Elliotsvilie road about two 

 miles from the village. 



The " Thompson Ledges " are high and ragged bluffs 

 on its east side, under the broken brows of which in fifty 

 feet of water the lake trout fishermen have at times 

 great success, often capturing some very large ones. 



Spotted trout weighing from one to five pounds are 

 also taken there with both fly and bait. An eminent 

 divine, of Portland, Maine, for many years until his de- 

 cease, a few years since, could always be found during 

 the summer months with rod and reel, enjoying sweet 

 communion with Natm-e at this beautiful retreat, 

 Moores and Meadow ponds were also among his favorite 

 resorts. Eighteen Pond, thus named because a part of it 

 is in lot No. IS, in the east half of Monson, is about the 

 size of Meadow Pond, and is well filled with spotted 

 trout above the average in size. It is about three-quar- 



ters of a mile from Monson Pond in a southeasterly 

 direction. 



In a due north course from Lake Hebron is an old 

 wagon way, known as the "Savage Road," which now 

 termin.ates at the farm of Chandler Watson, formerly 

 known as "The Moores Place." It was in the more primi- 

 tive times the only and mam traveled way to Moosehead 

 Lake. It was over this road that Seba Smith traveled, 

 many years ago, when he was a famous author and wrote 

 sketches of this section of Maine for his book entitled 

 "Way Down East,'' which once delighted many American 

 readers. This road then crossed the Spectacle Pond out- 

 let, where were mills and a small hamlet of settlers. The 

 road has since been legally discontinued and adandoned. 



The old mill has rotted and tumbled down and the 

 farms have been forsaken. Where broad fields of silken 

 grain once waved, and where the busy sounds of life and 

 industry was once heard the poplars and firs now mingle 

 their whisperings to each other with the murmurs of the 

 sparkling stream which winds its way through a rocky 

 and mountainous country to the larger water-ways below. 



The weird ruins of an old burying ground alone remain 

 to remind the tourist of the scenes of those days. The 

 only permanent habitations tliere are those of the deer 

 and caribou. 



This old way can now be used with backboards for a 

 mile beyond the Watson farm. 



In the immediate vicinity of this road are the two 

 McLarigu ponds, the Moores, Bell, Lillie and Ward ponds, 

 all of which have the spotted trout. The angler who 

 visits them all will find it a matter of great difficulty to 

 determine which is the most delightful or which one 

 affords the most satisfactory sport. This entire northern 

 portion of Monson is a vast natural park where the scen- 

 ery is wild and magnificent. It is a succession of meadows, 

 hUls, valleys, gulches, bluffs and ravines, all covered with 

 verdant forestry. 



Among them all is a perfect network of brooks and 

 streams, cataracts and cascades, ponds and small lakes. 



Thatcher and Curtis ponds are also in this park in an 

 easterly direction. 



The finest and most enchanting view that one gets from 

 any point in the whole of Monson is from the summit of 

 Horner's Hill, overlooking the village and a wide stretch 

 of country hfe, a boundless forestry. Lake Hebron and 

 numberless other lakes and ponds. The height of this 

 hill is 300ft. above Lake Hebron, or some over 1,300ft. 

 above the level of the sea. J. F. S. 



MoNSOTN", Me. 



ANGLING NOTES. 



THEEE has been a great increase during the last 

 season or two in the number of anglers who have 

 visited the Yellowstone Park. Many of them have been 

 somewhat disappointed in the fishing, not because there 

 are not plenty of trout there, but on account of the diffi- 

 culty in getting reliable information as to the proper 

 localities in that wild country of immense distances. 



Most people in that section will inform the visitor that 

 he cannot kill the black spotted trout with artificial flies, 

 but must use grasshoppers or some other bait equally diffi- 

 cult to obtain. But he need pay no attention to this ad- 

 vice, let him stick to his flies, and if he is anything of a 

 fly-fisherman he will have no trouble, provided he selects 

 the proper kinds. 



The following information furnished by Mr. F. W. Foos, 

 an experienced angler and excellent fly-fisherman of this 

 city, can be relied upon as being correct. 



After the angler has rested himself from his long 

 jom-ney at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel in the Park, 

 let him leave word at the post office that he wishes to go to 

 Yancey's. The stage, which makes two or three trips a 

 week to that locaUty, will stop for him at the hotel bright 

 and early, and he will have a fine drive of twenty miles 

 that will repay him for the rough journey. In five hours' 

 time he will arrive at Yancey's Httle hotel, and will be 

 able to get some good fishing the same day within a short 

 distance of the house. 



When he tires of the fishing to be had there, where a 

 catch of 40 trout, weighing from 1 to 21 bs., is not unusual 

 in an afternoon's fishing, he can hire a horse or mule for 

 a trifling sum and go over the old deer trail back of the 

 house, to a branch of the Yellowstone, where 3 or 41b. 

 trout are quite common and even a 6 or 71b. fish is occas- 

 ionally caught. Perhaps Yancj' himself will go along 

 and try to show you how much better he can catch fish 

 with a pole and grasshopper than you can with yom- fancy 

 split bamboo and flies, as he did with Mr. Foos, only on 

 that occasion he was badly "left," as it was a good dav 

 for flies and hoppers were at a discount. The fishing on 

 this romantic stream is wild and exciting. The water 

 rushes madly between great boulders and over falls, and 

 when a big trout takes to the swift current there is fight- 

 ing enough to satisfy the most ardent angler. The fol- 

 lowing files have been thoroughly tested and may be 

 relied upon: Governor Alvord, dark-coachman, brown:- 

 hen, professor, royal-coachman, March-brown, jungle- 

 cock and brown-palmer. A long handle landing net of 

 good size is indispensable. 



Early on the morning of the fu-st of Api-il people will 

 find the markets supplied with trout. They naturally 

 say to themselves. "How is this? These fish must have 

 been caught out of season." They forget that Rhode 

 Island and Canada supply many of these fish and their 

 laws allow fishing March 1. so that they can be shipped 

 to reach New York very early on the morning of the first. 

 The trout breeders on Long Island can also get their fish 

 to the dealers by daylight, so there is no reason to suspect 

 that these trout have been taken unlawfully. 



The New York Recorder ia setting a good example by 

 publishing the kinds of game out of season with the 

 penalty attached in its weekly market reports. 



Scablet-Ibis. 



Mixed Metaphors. —Ex-Protector Drew pubHshes else- 

 where a letter which he states to be one he sent to this 

 office where it was refused publication. The printed letter, 

 however, is not the letter as sent us. It lacks, for one 

 thing, the choice characterization of a publ o official, 

 "who," Mr, Drew wrote, "is learning that public opinion, 

 can cut even through bristles, but, loathsome reptile like, 

 when trampled underfoot, in his impotent \N-rath, at- 

 tempts to strike his fangs at any object that comes before 

 his distorted vision." ' - ' 



