388 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[May 15, .1897. 
much longer. It would seem to be a fortunate thing that 
Ibe few remaining specimens of this magniflcent tish still to 
to be found in the Sahle are so relatively inaccessible, and 
the trout fishing so mUch batter and so much more conven- 
ient, that they may last till the trout have literally eaten 
them out of house and home. 
And this reminds me that in a very recent letter, alluding 
casually to the Sable, Mr. Hough speaks of it as a dangerous, 
or at least a risky stream for the boats of the angler. In this he 
has evidently been misinformed. The Sable is a rapid stream 
nearly all ttie way down the thirty miles of water usually 
fished below Grayling, but it has no rapids, such as char- 
acterize the Brule and similar streams. There is no place 
along the entire course mentioned where a boat may not lie 
at anchor with perfect safety to its occupants. 
Jay Beebb. 
Toledo, O., May 8. 
SOME OTHER CAMPS. 
The boys were talking over some of our camping expe- 
ditions the other night, after reading what I had written 
about Camp Bouillon, for that expedition was by no means 
the only one. Jack's brother, while no tenderfoot on a 
trout stream, did not know much about camping out, and 
he expressed a desire to shake off the mold that had accu- 
mulated on him from continuous dwelling in a banking 
house and to go with us the next time we went camping. 
Jack and I had planned a little expedition not many miles 
from town, so George was invited. 
We had a little sheet-iron stove in one corner of our 
tent and thought it would be a mighty nice thing to take 
along a few pieces of cannel coal, for the nights were very 
cold and a sheet- iron stove cools otF mighty quick, and it is 
not pleasant to crawl out in the night to replenish the fire 
with wood. We fixed up a very comfortable camp. The 
only thing I objected tg was that Jack would spit on the 
floor, and quite an argument arose as to whether I, as 
cook and housekeeper of the institution, had not aright to 
boss the ranch, so to speak. We had one double cot and 
a single one. I had taken along a pair of new blankets 
and Jack immediately picked out the comfortable side of 
the double cot for himself, and for fear these blankets 
would be pulled ofi' during the night, he, during the few 
moments that I was out of the tent, did then and there 
securely drive three or four nails right through those new 
blankets fastening them to the side, his side, mind you, of 
the cot. 
The deed had been done, and there was no need of rais- 
ing a row about it, but it was Jack all over. The light was 
put out, for we always carried a tin reflector lamp that we 
could fasten to the tent pole, and the last thing before re- 
tiring for the night a big piece of the coal was dumped into 
the stove. It was cold enough outside, but it was not long 
before it was warm enough inside. The stovepipe began to 
be a good sizzling red, and as the occupants of the double cot 
were on the opposite side and tbestove was justat George's 
feet, we rather enjoyed his discomfiture. Finally he was 
roasted out; he juniped out of bed and emptied a cup of 
water into the stove, which cooled it down, and he went 
back to bed. But it did not take long for the coal to 
brighten up, and the stovepipe once more began to be red- 
hot, and 1 think poor George spent most of the night 
jumping out of bed, putting out the fire and getting back 
to bed. He finally soused it with a whole pail of water 
and put the fire out, then called the dog on the bed with 
him to keep his feet warm. We concluded that cannel 
coal was not a success in a sheet-iron stove. 
Another time we went camping out near Freeland, not 
far from Section 37. We took along a bale of straw, and 
you know it pulls out in layers 3 or 4in. thick and makes 
a veritable mattress. We had the same cot beds, but there 
was a space left between the two that we had to cover over 
with this straw, and it made a verj-^ nice bunking place for 
a narrow man. We had gone up early in the morning 
and had the camp all ready; and Ferd and one of the 
other boys came up on the evening train and got a farmer 
to drive them out to where we were, about three miles 
from the station. We had gone to bed when we heard 
them calling in the distance, and as the night was cold 
we did not get up to welcome them. The bed made on 
the straw between the two cots fell to Ferd and I suppose 
had not been properly calculated for the occupant, for he 
groaned nearly all night, and long before morning awak- 
ened and wanted some one to change with him, saying he 
had been wedged in so between the two cots that he was 
unable to turn or move, and had to have some one help 
him before he could get up. So we rigged a derrick, hoisted 
him up, and as it was then nearly morning we concluded 
it was time to get up. 
Another trip that Jack and I took was one of those 
trips when you come home without anything, and that is 
seldom told about. We went up the bay shore for ducks. 
E,eports had come in that they were there in thousands. 
We were going to camp on a little island not very far from 
mainland and the water was not very deep. Jack was not 
much of a boatman and consequently his duck boat con- 
tained very little of the camping outfit. Mine had the 
camp stove, which was not the sheet-iron one at that time 
and among other things the tent poles. These were a lit- 
tle too long to put in the bottom of the boat, so they were 
put corner-wise and stuck out on each end.' I remember 
we were going along carefully; I was standing up, pad- 
dling, the waves were quite choppy and there was a dis- 
agreeable cork-screw motion to the boat. I had just cau- 
tioned Jack to be careful when a wave came along with a 
little more force than the previous ones and gave the canoe 
such a jolt that one of the tent poles was caught by it and 
in a jiffy I was overboard. This was more fun for Jack 
than for myself, and several comments were made upon 
what a good boatman I was and how much better I could 
ride a cranky duck boat than he could. However, the out- 
lit was not badly demoralized, notwithstanding I was wet 
to my chin and it was quite late in the fall. We soon got 
across to the little island and found a good camping spot, 
but by that time it blew great guns, and twice during the 
night we had to get out and fasten down the tent and 
put extra guys to keep it from blowing away over our 
heads. 
That ought to have been just the place and just the 
weather for ducks, but the next morning we thrashed 
around all over the entire marsh without getting a feather. 
Along in the afternoon we packed up and caught the 
evening train home. On the way we negotiated a deal 
whereby we got a nice crock of fresh country butter, and 
upon OUT return Jack's father asked where the ducks were 
and Jack went on to tell what a nice time we had, what a 
fine camp, and how nice everything w'as. "Yes," his 
father said, "but why don't you say where the birds are, 
and how many did you get?" Jack said: "We got the 
finest crock of butter you ever saw." And from that day 
to this, whenever the old gentleman hears that Jack or I 
are planning a trip, he wants to know if it is to be a crock 
of butter expedition. 
All of these things happened a good while ago, and we 
have not had one of our home camping-out expeditions in 
six or seven years. Not but what we would like to, just 
the same, and not that we are growing too old to do it, but 
somehow or other the old crowd has drifted apart, and I 
do not suppose we will ever again have one of the old-time 
camping-out expeditions that the members of the Saginaw 
crowd enjoyed so well. W. B. Mershon. 
Saginaw, Mieb,, May 5. 
to the general run of sportsmen, having been stocked for 
some years, hut largely fished by local sportsmen. A late 
report saj's that Mr. John Duke, of Rumford Falls, has just 
returned from Lake Webb, where he caughi twenty -six sal- 
mon, the string weighing over 401bs. " Speci-J^l. 
NEW ENGLAND WATERS. 
New Hampshire Fishing. 
Hudson Center, May 6. — Editor Forest and Stream: I 
notice in an article over the signature of Hackle a statement 
that the open season for moose and caribou is from Sept 15 
to Dec, 15. This is a mistake. They are protected in New 
Hampshire until Sept. 15, 1901. 
The fishermen are having grand sport at New Found 
Lake with the salmon. I was at Dr. Fowler's cottage on the 
'^d and was quite interested in looking over a record of their 
catch for the last three years. In 1895, from April 24 to May 
2 thirty-three salmon and one lake trout were taken; in 1896, 
during the same time, twenty-one salmon and three lake 
trout; in 1897 for the same time, thirty-five salmon. These 
fish were caught by Gen. Paul Lang, Col. Frank JSToyes and 
Dr. Fowler. Three better fishermen it would be hard to 
find. It must be remembered that there are several other 
camps all having different degrees of success, also that the 
best part of the season both with salmon and lake trout in 
after May 3. 
At Winnepesaukee they are having a good catch of lake 
trout and shad-waiters. I have heard of but one salmon 
being caught there, an lUb. one. Mr. O. H. Daniels, of 
Laconia, tells me that no better catches have ever been made 
in Winnisquam Bay of whitefish and lake trout, I get re- 
ports of fair catches of brook trout from different sections of 
the State. - N. Wentworth. 
Massachusetts and Maine and New Hampshire- 
Boston, May 10. — Moosehead is clear; fishermen are off, 
and prospects are excellent. The Rangeleys are clearing. 
Richardson is clear, Mooselucmaguntic is clearing, Rangt- 
ley will be clear by Thursday. 
Map 8. — Some fishing is being done in the coves around 
Rangeley Lake, where the water is open, and some trout are 
being taken, but no large fish. A few Boston fishermen have 
already gone for this early fishing. Mr, Morse has gone to 
Rangeley. He will try the cove fishing. Mr. and Mrs. C. 
P. Stevens have gone to Rangeley. It will be remembered 
that Mi. Stevens broke the record on landlocked salmon there 
last year. He took two salmon on May 6 weighing 54 and 
7llbs., and on the 16ih a salmon that weighed 7Jlbs. F. C. 
Belcher and Mrs. Belcher have gone to Rangely. Mr. Belcher 
is owner of the beautiful camps at Mingo Point. Mr. C. D. 
Lyford will go to the Rangeleys immediately on receipt of the 
news that the ice is out. 
Salmon fishing at Bangor is not turning out well this year, 
or was not at last reports Mr. Archibald Mitchell with a 
friend from Scotland are just back from trying the pool at 
Bangor a week. They fished faithfully every day, but took 
only a salmon apiece. Mr. Mitchell's weighed 171bs., a 
large one for that pool. Mr. Mitchell says that there was but 
one other salmon caught during their stay. He is the owner 
of a salmon pool at the Restigouche, where he will fish later. 
He had great luck there last year. Mr. D. H. Blanchard and 
his friend, Mr. Keeler, are already planning for Mr. Blan- 
chard's salmon river, earlier this year than usual. 
The landlocked salmon fishermen are much interested. 
R. 0. Harding, E. E Wakefield, Jr , and Edward Brooks 
left Friday evening for Dan Hole Pond, Ossipee, N. H. 
They are to be met at the pond by Commissioners Went worth 
and Hughes. Mr. Thomas Dickson is also expected to join 
the party for a day. Mr. Dicb son writes Mr. Harding of 
great fishing at Winnipesaukee last week. He took five lake 
trout, weighing respectively 9, 7, 6, 5 and 41bs. Good sport 
has been had at Newfound Lake the past week. Lake 
Webb, formerly Weld Pond, Maine, has been oj^en for a 
week, and good luck with salmon and trout has resulted. 
A big catch was made there at first; fifty salmon and trout 
on Saturday, eight on Sunday, and forty on Monday. Mr. 
John Decker and party were the more lucky fishermen. Mr. 
Wilder K. Chase, of Pine Point Camps at that lake, sends 
F. E. Boothby a drawing of three of these fish. One is a 
brook trout weighing 4ilbs., the second a salmon of 4flb3., 
the third a brook trout of 5*1 bs. This drawing has been on 
display in the window of the Washington street office of the 
Boston & Maine and Maine Central railways the past three 
days, and has drawn a crowd. Mr. Q. A At wood and his 
friend Gen. Es Boss have gone to Seoec Lake, Maine, for 
salmon fishing. 
Mr. Henry C. Litchfield, with Dame, Stodard and Ken- 
dall, received a letter on Thursday from Col. C B. Hazel- 
tine, saying that the ice is out of Swan Lake, near Belfast, 
Me , and that as usual, Fish Commissioner Henry O. Stan- 
ley is taking trout there. At the time the letter was written 
he had taken a salmon of S^lbe., a trout of 7ilbs., and other 
trout down to|31bs. It will be remembered that these are 
the celebrated Swan Lake brook trout (those who think they 
know better need not smile at such a name) brought to light 
only a few years ago by Mr, Stanley and Mr, Hazeltine. 
They are perfect salmo fontinalis, only that they are in that 
lake; hard to get, ardof a remarkable size and most beauti- 
ful coloring. Mr. Hazeltine suggests to Mr. Litchfi Id to 
come at once, but business prevents. Col, C. A. Hopkins 
is off for Grand Lake Stream. The ice left Grand Lake 
May 3. On Monday Mr. W. L Hnderwood was off for the 
Duck Lake camps in that region. His brother, H. O. Under- 
wood, is treasurer of the Duck Lake Club. This club will 
be off for the Shoodics in a few days. 
Landlocked salmon fishing at Lake Auburn, Me., has been 
proving uncertain this season. Several fine irout and salmon 
•were taken there on Friday. The better weather has im- 
proved the fishing a good deal. The fishing season at Wil- 
son Lake, Wilton, Me., opened on Tuesday with a catch of 
fifteen salmon, some of them very large. This lake is new 
"WHEN THE ICE GOES OUT." 
Three Days with the Landlocked Salmon at 
Sebasro. 
"Theee goes the telephone! Hello! What is it?" 
"The ice went out of the Sebago yesterday. Be ready to 
start at 8:45 to-morrow morning." 
And so Monday morning we four met at the Union De- 
pot. Anticipation for days had at last been satisfied. One 
dry goods man and three doctors tumbled ulsters, and fish 
boxes and rod cases and rubber overcoats and grips into 
as many seats, and then took the first long breath of leisure 
in many a day. 
Sebago Lake is a nearly oval sheet of water, about twelve 
miles long, and sixteeni miles north of the city of Portland, 
Me. One of the most sinuous rivers, the Songo — most 
charmingly sung by the poet Longfellow— connects it with 
its tributaries. Brandy Pond and Long Pond, further north . 
The series of lakes, with their various feeders, stretch out 
over a length of some fifty miles, survivals of the glacier 
that once covered our entire State. From out of the south- 
ern end of Sebago flows a broad, deep river, the Pre- 
sumpscott, that supplies the motive po^er for the paper 
and cotton mills of Westbrook. Some twenty-five years 
ago Portland utilized the lake for its water supply. Few 
cities in the world are able to boast of purer water or one 
of more lavish abundance. 
But with its attractions of scenery and utility, the lake 
has special charms for the angler. Brook trout (Salmo 
fontinalu) are caught in it, often of large size, and bass at 
certain seasons of the year. But Sebago is also the home 
of a true landlocked salmon, which long ago Agassiz 
studied and decided to be a species indigenous to these 
waters. He therefore gave it the name of Salmo sebaginen- 
sis. Because of peculiar conditions of habit and food sup- 
ply, it is a difficult fish to catch; but once hooke'd, it fights 
hard enough to satisfy the heart of the most fastidious 
sportsman. 
The hour's run to Mattocks was unnoticed in the gahble 
of fish talk. Drawn up to the platform of the station, the 
mountain wagon, which served the purpose of the daily 
^ stage to Naples, awaited us. Loading it up with parapher- 
nalia enough for a month's camping, we stowed ourselves 
in and were oft'. The crisp April morning was bright with 
sunshine, though it needed no telling that all the winter's 
snow was not yet gone from the White Mountains, 'way ofiT 
to the northwest. Through the little village of Mattocks, 
that unfortunate memento of the gentleman farmer, we 
swung along over a fairly good road. Here and there were 
mud holes, of course, for every roadside gully was full of 
snow water, and the snow itself still lay in patches among 
the trees and along the fences. 
At Fitch's, Charley suggested that we put in for a supply 
of crackers and cheese, and these, with a bunch of bananas, 
were dealt out from the back seat to those ahead whose 
cigars had finally given out. Just beyond Sandy Beach, 
some six or eight miles from the station, Stillman met us 
with an open wagon and a spike team of three laorses. 
After two-hours of rattling over dry ground antl flounder- 
ing through mud we drew rein at Meserve's, our destina- 
tion, at the mouth of the Songo. 
Through the care of Charley, arrangements bad been 
made for our use of Frank's own camp, and specially for- 
tunate were we that we could get it. Ranged along this 
shore of the lake are some five or six little cottages. At 
the head of the line is a more pretentious house of two 
stories. Here mine host Meserve feeds his guests, the fish- 
erman and guides, and lodges as many as his upper story 
can accommodate. "Roomers and mealers" is the proper 
vernacular. In one of the smaller cottages he lives through 
the entire year, and this, his proper home, he had resigned 
to us. A story high, with a single main room and an ex- 
tension, fitted with bunks for the guides and bedsteads for 
the "sports," it was just about big enough to swing a cat 
in, with respect, of course, for the size of the cat. Small 
though it be, it is an ideal fisherman's camp, and we went 
to housekeeping at once. 
And now a word in passing about this ice busi- 
ness. The season par excsllence for salmon fishing at 
Sebago is the last of April, "when the ice goes out."" 
The natural food here for the salmon is the smelt. During 
the winter both lie out in deep water. But immediately 
after the ice leaves the lake the smelt run in up the Songo 
to spawn. The salmon follow them from deep water, and 
feed upon the smelt along the northern shore of the Lake and. 
around the mouth of the Songo. Curiously enough, for a 
few days immediately after this exodus, salmon will ac- 
cept a troll of natural or artificial smelt along this shore. 
But after this time the daily catch grows smaller, until in 
the latter part of May and the first of June, when the 
smelt return to the deep water of the lake. Then for a 
few days also, salmon will take the bait, but these two' 
periods comprise the year's fishing. Very rare'y are the^ 
salmon ever taken at any other season of the year, or att 
any other part of these waters. So tbat after this explan- 
ation one can understand why the time to go a-fishing at. 
Sebago is "when the ice goes out," and happy is he whO' 
can suit his needs for the occasioiL 
Our long ride had furnished good sauce for a hearty 
dinner, when our guides met us, and we discussed the sit- 
uation. As we looked out seaward from the shore, the 
prospect of fishing was decidedly unfavorable. The main 
lake, as far as the eye could reach, was leaping in freedom 
from its fetters of ice. The strong south wind which has 
prevailed during several days had done its work well, so 
far as that greater part was concerned. But, unwisely for 
us, it had driven a mass of ice a half mile wide or so down 
upon our shore. And here we were shut off" from the fish- 
ing grounds outside it by this grinding, crunching floe of 
dirty black material, too weak to bear the weight of a boat 
and showing no clear lanes for passage. There was noth- 
ing to do but to wait patiently for the power of the north 
wind to drive away the barrier for us. 
Slow dragged the hours of that afternoon. We chanted 
in antiphony "Thou ait so near, and yet so far," and tor- 
mented the lives of every would-be weather prophet in the 
neighborhood. One of the party was somewhat fainted as 
to the chances of successful fishing, ice or no ice. For had 
