342 
FOREST AND STREAM 
The James-White River Float Trip 
An Inland Bass Fishing Story 
By Milt Bangs. 
Alice Mary Kimball in “Gypsy Journeys in the 
Ozarks” writes: “Year after year they come— 
the friends of the White River country. Niagara 
may beckon, the Northern Lakes may call, the 
seaside resorts may flaunt their attractions, out¬ 
going steamers may hint the fascinating secrets 
of foreign lands, but their spell is vain for those 
who have twined their heartstrings around the 
summer playground of the White River country.” 
The writer, an ordinary plug citizen and of¬ 
fice worker, an enthusiastic lover of the Great 
Outdoors, and a fisherman and shot of mediocre 
ability, has just returned from his fourth trip 
to the White River country, louder than ever in 
his praises of the “playground of the Great 
Southwest,” situated in southwestern Missouri, 
where the clear-watered James and White Rivers 
run amidst pine-covered hills, far from civili¬ 
zation and conventions, yet filled with romance, 
beauty and legend. 
This year’s trip was a float down James River 
and into White, traversing 125 miles of water 
and ending but 21 miles by rail from the start¬ 
ing point. We outfitted at our starting point, 
Galena, in Stone County, Missouri, where our 
party of four was equipped with two flat-bottom¬ 
ed skiffs, two guides, tent, cots, cooking outfit, 
ice and provisions. We had been informed that, 
■while the fishing in July was not as good as in 
the early summer or in the months of August 
.and September, the waters abounded in black 
1bass, channel or “blue” cats and crappies—and 
we found our informant had not exaggerated. 
Our party wanted bass fishing with rod and reel 
—and got it. A hundred bass, none less than ten 
inches long, most of them weighing from a 
pound and a half to three pounds and one weigh¬ 
ing four pounds, were landed on the five days’ 
trip. All smaller bass were returned to the river 
and not counited. Frogs and young squirrels 
were plentiful and added to the variety of our 
camp menu, on which fried bass appeared twice 
each day. The days were warm, but at night, 
camped on the beautiful gravel beaches of the 
James or White, heavy blankets were needed to 
assure comfortable sleep. 
Leaving Galena at two o’clock Monday after¬ 
noon, we made our first camp at the McCord 
camp ground and were lulled ito rest by the 
murmur of the swift-running, clear-watered 
James, which stream is said to purify itself 
every fifty feet. We were awakened at half past 
four Tuesday morning by the shouts of the guides 
who had, in a few minutes’ fishing, just below our 
camping place, landed seven bass, among them 
the four-pounder just mentioned. This brought 
the enthusiasm of the members of our party 
above par and we were eager for an early start. 
Tuesday’s fishing was good and when we camped 
near the Aurora Club House Tuesday evening, 
a run of about twenty-five miles, we had more 
bass than we could eat for supper and break¬ 
fast. Wednesday’s float was through some of 
the most beautiful country in the United States 
—swift-running riffles, long shoals, deep holes 
with heavily shaded banks, logs and large rocks 
in plenty, and a bass under nearly every rock, 
eager to strike a red artificial minnow or 
combination of Iris fly and porkrind, with which 
we had best success. During this day’s float, we 
passed Virgin Bluff, a wall of rock, a thousand 
feet high, rising straight as a die from the wa¬ 
ter’s edge—a picture no artist could adequately 
paint, a sight which 'the writer’s limited vocabu¬ 
lary is utterly incapable of suitably describing. 
Camp was made on another fine rock beach 
where a little branch joins the James. 
Thursday’s trip was a constant panorama of 
beautiful scenery like that of Wednesday—tow¬ 
ering bluffs, rock palisades, hills so green they 
appeared almost black, an occasional glimpse of 
farmland, and through it all the music of the 
rippling water on which we floated. Thursday 
night we made camp at a bend in the James 
jus't above the river’s mouth. Friday was our 
record run—thirty miles, from the bend above 
the mouth of James, into White and down White 
to the place where it is joined by Indian creek. 
Our camping ground was but four miles from 
the famous Marvel Cave, which never has been 
thoroughly explored, and in the heart of the 
country made famous by Harold Bell Wright in 
“The Shepherd of the Hills.” Saturday we float¬ 
ed and paddled to the head waters of Lake Ta- 
neycomo, a lake twenty-five miles long, created 
by damming the White at Powersite, with a dam 
six hundred feet long and fifty-seven feet high. 
From here we were towed by a motorboat to 
Branson, reaching there at one o’clock Saturday 
afternoon, tanned, tired and happy, unanimous 
that the White River country had gained its hold 
upon us, and already planning another float in 
October, when the myriad-hued foliage is at its 
best, when the big bass strike keenly in the 
crisp mornings and when duck-shooting is 
permitted. 
It is only since the construction of the White 
River branch of the Missouri Pacific Railway 
through the White River country that the thou¬ 
sands of nimrods and anglers in the great mid¬ 
dle west have commenced to realize the wonder¬ 
ful beauty and rare opportunities for fishing and 
shooting offered by this fairy land at their very 
doorsteps. But they are coming now by hun¬ 
dreds, and one trip causes each to take a pledge 
to return again. The tourists who seek this 
country are good sportsmen and, with few excep¬ 
tions, respect the fish and game laws. The 
state fish commissioner has just placed 
sixty thousand small bass, crappies and perch 
in Ozark streams, so there is no danger of the 
waters being “fished ouit” in the near future. 
Any time from the first of April to the last of 
October, you will find a trip to this country well 
worth while, and its charms will haunt you in 
such a way you will readily recognize why each 
year more and more red-blooded men gather 
from all over the country to forget business 
cares, enjoy real sport and renew health in the 
Missouri Ozarks. 
CATCHES AT GRANLIDEN. 
Sunapee, N. H., Sept. 4, 1914. 
Editor Forest and Stream : 
Herewith is a report of ithe list of entries of 
Salmon caught in Lake Sunapee this summer. 
The catch has been just as large as usual, but 
I think the reason I have not had more entries 
is on account of the fish being caught were not 
as large as caught last year and the people, 
thinking they were not large enough, have not 
turned in some of them. 
Below is a list of entries turned in and dates 
of same: 
July 13—David Mackenzie, Australia—4 lbs 12 oz 
July 10—J. C. Morse, New York City—4 lbs 40Z 
July 13—C. Rogers, New York City—4 lbs 40Z 
July 12—C. R. Schmidt, Washington—4 lbs 
July 16—F. L. Holden, N. Y. C.—6 lbs 20Z 
July 29—H. C. West, New York City—6 lbs 40Z 
July 27—Frank W. Leavitt, Sunapee—7 lbs 8oz 
Aug. 1—J. L. Collins, Boston, Mass.—6 lbs 8oz 
Aug. 11—R. L. Gorham, Newport--iolbs 40Z 
(N. H.) 
This last entry was Land-Locked Salmon and 
am enclosing a picture of the fish and of Mr. 
Gorham. 
I do not believe we will get many more entries 
as the season closes on the 15th, but should 1 
get more, will be very glad to forward same to 
you. 
From the present outlook, it looks very much 
as though Mr. Gorham will get the cup. We 
would probably have had more entries to send 
you, but the weather has been bad here, having 
had more rain than usual during the summer. 
Granliden Hotel. CHARLES R. SCHMIDT. 
MOOSE-HUNTING TIME COMING SOON. 
Annapolis Royal, N. S., August 20, 1914. 
Editor of Forest and Stream, Sir: If people 
knew how fascinating was the sport of moose¬ 
hunting more of them would indulge in it. No 
doubt a great many are deterred by the fact that 
hunting takes place after the fall business cam¬ 
paign has begun, and others because they fear 
the expense. The following hints are thrown 
out for him who runs: 
If you choose Nova Scotia as a hunting- 
ground, you can have your heart’s delight in two 
weeks at the outside, from the time you leave 
New York. Your expenses will be as follows, 
“f. o. b.” Boston: 
Return ticket, say, to Annapolis Royal, 
N. S., via Yarmouth, including berth 
(twice) .$18 to $20 
Big-Game License . 30 
Guide, canoe, tent and cooking-kit, 12 
days at $2.50 . 30 
Teaming, tip, and other extras. 10 
Grub, self and guide, 12 days at $1.50.. 18 
$108 
Then add ammunition and whatever you need 
for outfit, and you have your expenses for twelve 
days in the woods, the rest of the fortnight be¬ 
ing given up to travelling. Of course there are 
ways of making a trip expensive. For example, 
you can have a motor-boat meet you on the big 
lakes and get you along faster, but it is not 
necessary; and you can use automobiles to get 
you to the landing, but that too is a luxury. In 
any other country all these expenses would at 
least be doubled, or nearly so. 
As to outfit, it is not costly, even if you have 
to get everything new except your rifle. An old 
but still stout woolen business-suit, with a pair 
of knickerbockers and thick, long stockings for 
