Sept. 1, 1894. J 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
188 
A DAY ON THE MOOSUP. 
All things being favorable for a day's sport, I took 
down the old rod and made an eai'ly start for a favorite 
stream in the wilds of Moosup. After leaving the train 
at Plainfield on the N. W. R. R., it is a pleasant drive of 
three miles, the route leading across the crest of Stone 
Hill, from the summit of which can be had a magnificent 
view of the surrounding country, down to the left under 
the brow of grand old Sterling Hill runs the stream. 
Knowing that a warm rain of the previous day had put 
the trout in fine condition for sport, I was eager for the 
fun. 
I began in the little meadow just west of the turnpike ; 
here the stream takes on a crooked, winding course (as is 
usual in all meadows), each bend forming a splendid little 
eddy, the very place to cast a fly. This meadow always 
gives grand fishing, and I kept busy adding fish after fish 
to my creel. In the woods below these meadows the land 
forms a gradual incline, down which the stream dashes 
in a series of cascades and foaming eddies, forming a 
picture lovely to look upon — a picture fit for an artist's 
brush. At tbe foot of the rapids the stream bends sharply 
to the left, forming a swishing eddy under an overhang- 
ing ledge, where I had an exciting time with a pound 
trout. The crafty rascal, after seizing the fly, made a 
dash among the branching roots of an old tree that had 
fallen athwart the stream. Oh, what a mess he did make 
of my line as he twisted in and out among those roots! 
Well, the whole thing ended by my wading in and bring- 
ing both line an d fish ashore in my hands. As the stream 
leaves these woods it passes among huge rocks and boul- 
ders, forming numerous falls and foam-flecked pools, 
making a picture of grand rugged beauty. From the 
largest of these pools I took two trout of lib. 4oz. and 
fibs, respectively. 
Beyond the ledges, where the stream runs on the level 
again, is a pool of two or three rods in diameter, but of 
no great depth. Wading in knee-deep, I took several 
small trout. When making a longer cast than usual, well 
out near a large rock, as the red-ibis settled upon the 
still water, there was a bulge 'neath the fly, a vicious 
yank, a fleeting glimpse of a broad black tail fanning the 
air, and I began walking slowly backward to land, reeling 
in at the same time. Now, I was using a line of rather 
inferior quality, and as I had some misgivings as to its 
strength, it fairly made my hair stand on end as I consid- 
ered the possibility of its breaking. Well, there was no 
help for it, so I handled him as gingerly as possible as I 
backed slowly to land; but no use, luck was against me, 
for my feet slipped upon a smooth shelving rock, a heavy 
surge upon the already overtaxed line, which parted at 
the leader, and I sat squarely down waist deep in the pool. 
As I went to grass I obtained one good look at the cause 
of all the trouble as he came rushing to the surface, im- 
pelled by that last yank — one, yes, nearer 21bs., and a 
beauty. Now, I am usually of a patient disposition, but 
we will omit what was said on that occasion; perhaps 
some brother angler knows how it is himself. Well, 
being naturally of buoyant spirits, I did not mourn long 
over my mishap, but changing my line and emptying my 
boots, Richard was himself again. 
Down in the swamp below the pool, the water being 
shallow, I was wading the stream, letting the flies float 
from ripple to ripple some thirty feec in advance, when, 
zip! up came a fine trout with a rush. Hungry! Well, I 
should say he was. He pounced upon the fly as a fam- 
ished cat upon a mouse. With a turn of' the wrist I 
hooked him solid, and as he felt the cruel barb enter his 
flesh, he made one blind rush straight up toward me, 
passing squarely between my legs; as I turned quickly, 
reeling in the slack line, I realized that my chances were 
slim to save that fish. The brush gave me no show here; 
it was all luck and chance. As he took up the slack the 
line twanged like a violin string; but as the hook was in a 
vital spot, he soon weakened, and I drew him end over 
end to my feet and transferred him to my creel. 
By this time Old Sol was approaching the meridian, and 
his rays becoming warm, I sought the welcome shade of 
a giant elm at the side of a lovely little meadow and 
threw myself on the greensward to enjoy an hour's siesta. 
As I lay with head pillowed upon my arm, gazing dream- 
ily out upon the blue hills, then on the deep green foliage 
of the distant forest, then again on the little meadow, one 
of nature's gems nestling among the surrounding hills; as 
I listened to the musical murmur of the stream, to the 
twitter of the birds in the old elm, and the lazy drone of 
the bees among the flowers, I closed my eyes with a feel- 
ing of contentment and perfect rest. 
Now, I am a fervent admirer of nature in all its form, 
but am also a lover of one of the grandest sports that 
nature provides, and that is trouting. So, I soon roused 
myself and sought the stream once more. Jusc below 
the old elm where the water was held in check by the 
litter and debris of an old rail fence, I took a ^Ib. trout. I 
would not have risked my tackle but for the fact of hav- 
ing seen the fish rise several times after flies. Cautiously 
dropping in among the old rails, he had it in an instant 
and I yanked him to land at the risk of smashing my 
tip — not very scientific, but surely the best I could do 
under the circumstances, for this was no place for fancy 
work. 
Crossing the meadow to a little pool which was thickly 
interspersed with boulders which had fallen from the 
ledge above, among which the water foamed and fretted, 
my nerves began to tingle as I saw a large trout rise, seize 
a fluttering miller that had fallen in the stream and as 
quietly settle back into the depths again. Quickly chang- 
ing my fly for a white-miller, I sent it sweeping down 
into the pool. Mr. Trout was ready, and as the miller 
settled upon the water I saw a yellow gleam in among 
the water foam and, in my haste, struck to soon and the 
empty hook came back. Quite chagrined, I made 
another cast; again he rose and this time I hooked him. 
He made a desperate rush down stream and I followed 
slowly, keeping him well under control, and as he slipped 
over a little fall and swung around into view, I saw he 
was a whopper. Well, he fought nobly, but I soon had 
him exhausted and lifted him from the stream and laid 
him quivering on the bank; he weighed lib. 4oz. by the 
pocket scales. Wasn't he a beauty? Every line and 
curve perfect in contour and the crimson spots upon his 
golden sides bright and glowing, fresh from his native 
element. 
Now, I do not want the whole earth, but all the same, a 
June day upon a pleasant trout stream and the fish biting 
well comes to a close all too soon, and with regretful feel- 
ings I saw the night approach and was compelled to 
leave such glorious sport. E. M. Brown. 
AN ALLIGATOR GAR. 
Hannibal, Mo., Aug. 20. — Editor Forest and Stream: I 
take pleasure in inclosing you an excellent ' 'snap shot," 
taken by Mr. Will Dulany, a young amateur here, of the 
largest fish of any kind, to my knowledge, ever captured 
in the Mississippi River above its lower waters. 
This alligator gar was caught last Friday on a hook by 
our veteran fisherman, Nate Saunders, whose genial face 
appears in the photograph. It required the united strength 
of himself and two other powerful men an hour and a 
half to land him. 
I measured the fish carefully with the following results: 
Length 7ft. 4in., girth 40in., weight 274ilbs., although in 
a very lanky condition. In good order I have no doubt it 
would, easily have turned the scales at 3001bs. 
From its general appearance and the condition of the 
teeth I am of the opinion that it is in the neighborhood of 
100 years old. It is now on exhibition and parties pro- 
pose to have it mounted. 
This has been a poor season for game fishing, owing to 
the fact that the Mississippi River, which usually restocks 
our waters during its early spring rise, has been extremely 
low this year; and now it is so low tbat navigation has 
been entirely suspended above St. Louis. 
Early in the season the crappie and black bass were 
biting pretty well and a fe w exceptionally large bass were 
taken, but recently both have nearly deserted us. 
By hard work I am generally able to catch a string for 
breakfast during the evening at our Deep Lake, which is 
only a long mile from my office. 
There has been no sport at the big Sni E'Carte preserve, 
for the past two months, so the members have been 
obliged to put a piano in their handsome club house and 
MR, V?HAj DULANT AND HIS MIGHT? MONSTER FROM 
THE MUDDY MISSISSIPPI. 
make it a pleasure resort for their families to keep up the 
attraction. 
My friend Dr. B. Q. Stevens and I had some luck down 
at "James Break," ten miles south of here, last Tuesday, 
when we caught seventy bass, crappie and large sunfish. 
I struck a bunch of the latter while the Doctor was taking 
an after-dinner nap, and although it was very hot I en- 
joyed it hugely for an hour, during which I witnessed a 
surprising instance of the wonderful agility of these active 
fish, one of which jumped and caught a "snake feeder" 
flying along at least six inches above the water. 
I know our Eastern sportsmen claim the brook trout to 
be the gamiest fish, but weight for weight, from my ex- 
perience in the Rocky Mountains, I am satisfied that our 
"goggle eyes" will "pull them backward" and make two 
turns to the trout's one. 
Last month I saw Ben Williams, one of our ardent fish- 
ermen, pull out a crappie measuring 13iin., which beats 
the record here for a number of years. 
S. E. Worrell. 
Black Bass in Washington. 
It is reported from Silver Lake, Washington, that black 
bass fishing is now very fine in that beautiful sheet of 
water. The lake is cold and so clear that the fish can be 
seen taking the minnow and the angler need not be in 
doubt as to the proper moment to strike. Bass are caught 
among the lily pads from a bridge or from boats. The 
lake is about five miles long and from one-fourth to three- 
eights of a mile wide. 
The original stock is credited to the U. S. Fish Com- 
mission, and dates back five years, during the first three 
of which no fishing was allowed. Inquiry at the Fish 
Commission office shows some mistake about the report 
as there is no record of a deposit of baas in Silver Lake, 
but 10,000 whitefish were placed there Feb. 6, 1889. Bass 
were sent to Clear Lake Sept. 17 and Oct. 23, 1892, also 
Sept. 26, 1893. Spotted catfish were delivered there Oct. 
23, 1892. The report, however, is explicit to the effect 
that one angler caught sixty black bass in Silver Lake, 
Aug. 10, averaging fib. in weight, the largest having 
been a 31bs. fish. The capture of a bass of 41bs. is also 
claimed. The mystery of the origin of those bass can 
probably be explained by some one who is familiar with 
the grounds. T H. B. 
TROUTING ON UPPER MAGALLOWAY. 
One of the least advertised, and at the same time best 
fishing chances in this part of the country, may be found 
on the Upper Magalloway River, in the State of Maine. 
You can leave the hotel— where you will find all the 
accommodations of a first-class house, combined with 
the comforts of home— and after fifteen minutes' walk 
find yourself in the dense forest, where it is hard to 
realize yourself within many miles of civilization, except 
as you occasionally come across a wood road, or small 
clearing, where some lumbermen have been camped 
years ago, but which still retains the marks of their 
axes. These "works," as they are called by the natives, 
and which are found all through the forests, are used 
during the winter by the "jobbers," so-called, who move 
into the woods at the first signs of winter, taking with 
them from ten to sixty men and six to a dozen pairs of 
horses, and in some cases oxen, for getting out lumber. 
The logs are hauled on to the river and when the ice 
breaks up in the spring are driven down river, fifty or a 
hundred miles, to the mills, where they are sawed into 
all kinds of lumber and from there shipped to all parts 
of the country. During the summer these camps are un- 
occupied, except by an occasional hunter or fisherman, and 
as a rule they are free to all who wish to avail themselves 
of the shelter they afford; all that is required is that 
they shall be left as they are found. They nearly all 
contain cooking utensils and dishes, and one can spend 
the night very comfortably in them. 
Following the carry for about two miles we reached 
the head of the falls, which is a very wild spot. A steam- 
boat usually makes daily trips up the river and you can 
save considerable hard rowing and several hours in time 
by taking passage. 
About two miles above, we reached Beaver Brook, a 
small stream emptying into the river from the east. We 
went up the brook for about a mile and commenced fish- 
ing. There were plenty of trout but they were of small 
size, none of them weighing over a half pound. We fished 
down to the mouth of the brook, where our canoes were 
tied up. One of us who had cast out into the river just 
where the channel of the brook makes in, called out that he 
had "got a good one." Our tape line and scales were ready; 
he measured just 18in. and brought the marker to 3^1bs. 
The next rise was a good one, I should judge larger than 
the one already taken, but before he could be landed he 
broke away. However, we managed to take six more, 
weighing 1J, If, 2, gf , 2f and 81bs. each. 
Then we went into camp at the Narrows; and I believe 
I never sat down to a meal that I relished as I did the one 
we had of trout then and there. 
That evening, just as the sun had touched the tops of 
the trees on the mountain, which were shadowed on the 
pools below the ledges, I went down to a large boulder in 
the stream and prepared for a cast. I had three flies on 
the leader, a royal-coachman, a white-miller and a silver- 
doctor. I made a cast over across the pool and drew the 
flies across a spot where there was a little eddy. The 
upper fly had no sooner reached this little patch of smooth 
water than it was taken by a trout, so anxious to get it 
that he jumped clear of the water, showing his handsome 
speckled sides; and as the sun shone through the trees 
just at that instant he looked like a flashing rainbow. But 
it lasted only for an instant; the next my line was spin- 
ning out at a fearful rate. I let him run for a moment, 
then I began to check him a little. He was a good one, 
and I wanted to secure him, so after playing for about 
ten minutes I tired out and succeeded in landing 
him — 6jlbs. 
Another cast in the same place. A splash, and striking 
quick I hooked another beauty. After a short struggle 
he gave up the fight and lay beside his companion on the 
bank. This one tipped the scales at 4flbs. I fished for 
half an hour and caught eight trout, weighing from 21bs. 
to 6ilbs. My companions had caught twenty-six in all, 
weighing from Jib. to 21bs. They all agree that I had 
won the medal for big fish that day. We had a trout 
supper that night, and all were satisfied that we had come 
to the right place. 
On we went up to the Little Magalloway, where we 
concluded that the best fishing point was at the dam at 
the foot of the lake. It is a wild place, the river a suc- 
cession of rapids and falls, which make excellent pools 
and eddies for trout. Although the fish were not as 
large as those we took at the narrows, they were more 
numerous and afforded us more sport, for they would bite 
as fast as we could take them in, and in an hour and a 
half caught all we wanted. 
We decided to camp at the forks. Hauling the canoes 
up on the bank under a couple of spruce trees, we turned 
them bottom up, first having laid a couple of skids about 
8ft. from the ground, so that when the canoes were placed 
on these it gave us plenty of room underneath. We next 
spread down some spruce boughs on the ground, and our 
blankets on top of these, which made a very comfortable 
bed. 
On the last day of our fishing one of the party had a 
strange experience in hooking a trout. He had made a 
cast, when a trout in his eagerness to take The fly leaped 
clear out of the water, catching the "tail" fly, and as he 
struck the water on the way down caught the upper fly 
also, having both flies in his jaw, securely hooking him- 
self on both hooks. He was taken in and found to weigh 
21bs. 
If any contemplate a fishing excursion I can recom- 
mend this country as one of the best places for real sport, 
easy to get to, and good accommodations after you are 
there. In my estimation it is all that can be desired. 
Sewes. 
Bass in the Delaware River. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
You may safely advise the brethren of the reel to go to 
Hancock, Delaware county, for bass. They are abundant 
now in both the east and west branches of the river, and 
take the minnow eagerly. Last Sunday my wife and I 
killed sixteen in one hour and twenty minutes, and on 
another occasion I landed eleven between 5 and 6:30 P. M., 
ranging from one to three pound!, and all small-mouths. 
The hotel at the station is excellent, and the absence of 
mosquitoes and the delicious coolness of the evenings 
among those balsam-scented hills are no small pleasures 
after the day's sport. Fly-fishing is over, but with young 
eels or bullheads the fisherman's luck is assured. 
Henry Gxnr Carleton. 
