93 ^ 
FOREST AND STREAM 
[June 12, 1909. 
Soon after this the peace of the camp was 
broken by 
“A scent of roses in the air, 
The rustle of a silken fold.” 
Ed was seen to be taking sftirreptitious squints 
through a field glass in the direction of a tent 
in the long meadow. After he had gone to as¬ 
certain the condition and whereabouts of our 
animals, I used the glasses and discovered three 
women about the tent. Still another was wad¬ 
ing in the river and switching a fly-rod most 
artistically. There was no camp-fire monologue 
that evening. In its place Ed spoke sorrow¬ 
fully of the superfluous spirit of our herd. One 
in particular, known as M’liss, was degenerat¬ 
ing and gradually leading the others further 
from camp. He had even had difficulty in get¬ 
ting near enough to administer the daily sweet¬ 
ening. Wouldn’t it be well to confine them in 
Jackson’s pasture, in the meadow, and move 
down there for a week? That would be a good 
place from which to start upon the exploring 
expeditions we had planned, and we could get 
our meals there when not in the humor to cook. 
It was strange that I had no objections to offer, 
but I hadn’t any, and that night we occupied 
one of Mr. Jackson’s cabins. In the course of 
the evening it was learned that the fair ones, 
who had unconsciously lured us from our moun¬ 
tain retreat, had broken camp during the day 
and departed for Denver. This was sad news 
to Ed, who said he would have given his rubber 
boots to see that woman cast a fly. 
I was glad to hear this, for I had been more 
than troubled in trying to find a motive for his 
apparent waywardness. Visions of old and re¬ 
spected foreigners being lured by music so sweet 
that they forgot their country and died in 
ecstasy had come into my mind. I had won¬ 
dered if the tenting nymphs possessed a phono¬ 
graph, and if so had decided to lasso Ed while 
passing. I knew Ed to be sensitive. I also 
knew that his best suit needed something be¬ 
sides pressing, and his stubby beard to be more 
useful than ornamental. These things would 
naturally force him to view the water-ousels 
with a spyglass which had already proven un¬ 
satisfactory. Under these handicaps I had 
thought his chivalrous nature might possibly 
tempt him to hang a string of big trout on a 
certain tent pole after dark, or offer to stand 
guard all night, or show from a distance how 
easily he could suspend fifty feet of line in the 
air. But I had been wrong and unkind, and 
knowing that as a man thinketh so is he, now 
tried to console myself by telling him tO' sit 
still while I made the bed and cleaned the fish 
and brought some water and fetched in our 
effects. 
At Jackson’s we found two of our fellow 
townsmen who were going home soon and 
kindly offered to carry some trout to our 
friends. We had wanted an excuse for a couple 
of days of hard fishing and the opportunity was 
too great to lose. 
A rainy night induced me to try the nearest 
tributary stream, while Ed went down to what 
is considered the best three miles on the river. 
Ute Creek, my destination, has few attractions 
when compared with surrounding waters, it 
being generally rapid and shallow, with few 
pools. About two miles above its mouth, how¬ 
ever, there are some pools which occasionally 
yield surprisingly. They occupy a short space 
in a canon between an obstructing pool and a 
series of falls and are only reached by a dan¬ 
gerous descent known to but few of the many 
who annually fish the stream. A hard tramp 
along a high trail brought me to them simul- 
taneousy with a flood which an early morning 
storm at the head of the creek had sent roar¬ 
ing down the canon. 
Knowing of better places than a canon in 
a storm, I retraced my way to a pool on the 
river above Ute Creek where an ancient trout 
had previously refused all offerings. Putting 
on a mist-colored leader, a No. 8 hook and a 
bumblebee, caught for the occasion, I cast into 
the center of the pool. A vigorous churning 
of the water followed and I landed a sixteen- 
ounce trout. 
There are times in one’s life when he believes 
he is about to catch a whale. I took off my 
coat and basket, placed them carefully on the 
bank and prepared to do business at that par¬ 
ticular place the rest of the day. An hour later 
I was sitting by the same pool, protected from 
the rain by an overhanging rock, and gloomily 
watching the drops as they pattered mononto- 
nously on the water. At intervals fish would 
rise weakly to them, but not another one had 
touched my assortment of flies and imitation 
bees. My rod lay carelessly across my knees 
and a grasshopper, to which I had resorted, cir¬ 
cled at will in an eddy beneath a jutting cliff. 
The Rev. Myron W. Reed considered it un¬ 
wise to give trout to friends who had no knowl¬ 
edge of their real cost and believed in substitut¬ 
ing pork in particular cases. I was thinking 
of buying a few pounds from Mr. Jackson for 
some friends not on the “every time” list, when 
my line straightened, apparently snagged and 
held in place by the current. If caught upon a 
stone, a slight jerk might snap the leader; if 
in the throat of a superlative degree trout who 
wasn’t really aware of having done anything, 
well—that was another question. In compro¬ 
mising I gave a slight turn of wrist and fol¬ 
lowed it with a sharp pull. A four-pound trout 
shot out of the water. In jumping to my feet 
my daily lunch, which had been spread on my 
lap, was thrown into the pool. It was a trifling 
incident that did not appear funny until I had 
told the boys about it in the evening. The re¬ 
straining influence of rod and line was not 
agreeable to my opponent who first attempted 
the down stream route and then came toward 
me in angry obliques as if to demand an 
apology. My position was not commanding, so 
I backed rapidly away from my little peninsula 
and around a deep interfering inlet. This ac¬ 
complished, I was prepared for any kind of a 
run, though having but one hundred feet of line. 
In ten minutes he lay upon the bank, a beau¬ 
tiful Rio Grande trout, and the largest I had 
ever caught so high on the river. Coming as 
he had in my moment of despondency, I was 
inclined to magnify his splendor, and that even¬ 
ing expatiated upon his beauty to Ed, who had 
filled his basket with much smaller fish. Like 
politicians who find some compensation in de¬ 
feat, each pretended to be satisfied, and the 
chaffing bout ended in an agreement to use only 
flies next day. 
Ed again fished down stream while I went 
to Upper Squaw Creek, which has some mag¬ 
nificent and curious pools two miles above its 
mouth. The weather so favored us with gentle 
breezes and sunshine that each of us, as well as 
our two friends, returned with full baskets. 
Though these statements be true, I do not 
wish to convey the idea that every person fish¬ 
ing here can catch twenty pounds every day, yet 
it is a fact that an expert, untiring fly-caster 
can secure the legal limit every day in the fly 
season when favored by correct water and 
weather conditions. Is it not amazing, in an 
unsurpassed climatic region, to see the sun still 
shining upon one hundred miles of such free 
fishing? 
[to be continued.] 
Illinois Bait-Casting Club. 
Chicago, Ill., June 7 .— Editor Forest and 
Stream: The following is a list of averages 
made at the club contest held in Washington 
Park, June 5 : 
Accuracy Bait. %oz. Event: 
\\'m. Stanley . 
. 98.7 
0 . C. 
Wehle . 
96 8 
W. H. Ball . 
. 98.6 
W. W. McFarland.. 
, 96.8 
John Mohan . 
. 98.4 
H. R. 
WGnfield _ 
96.6 
F. W. Hemminghouse98.4 
H. C. 
Chapman. 
96.4 
P. J. Linderman .. 
. 98.2 
C. P. 
Clifford . 
96.0 
W. J. Jamison !... 
. 98.1 
R. C. 
Nicholson .... 
95.6 
A. D. Whitby . 
. 98.0 
J. H. 
Asper . 
95.3 
E. K. Pierson . 
. 97.9 
0 . C. 
W'ehle (R. E.) 
94.0 
J. E. Amnion . 
. 97.9 
H. F. 
W^aite . 
93.3 
L. E. De Garmo .. 
. 97.6 
H F. 
Bennett . 
91.7 
E. H. Mathews ... 
. 96.9 
Re-entry: 
W'm. Stanley . 
. 98.0 
J. H. 
Asper . 
95.1 
E. H. Matthews ... 
. 97.8 
G. P. 
Clifford . 
95.0 
H. E. Rice . 
. 97.6 
H. F. 
Bennett . 
89.3 
J. M. Rannev . 
. 97.1 
Distance Bait %oz. 
Event: 
E. E. De Garmo .. 
.177.1 
Wm. : 
Stanley . 
99. 
A. D. Whitby . 
.162.3 
J. E. 
Ammon . 
96.3 
0 . C. W'ehle . 
.133.1 
W. H. 
Ball . 
70.2 
W. J. Tamison . 
.123.4 
H. F. 
Bennett . 
54.4 
Re-entry: 
W. J. Jamison. 
.172. 
0 . C. 
W'ehle . 
1.34.3 
A. D. Whitby . 
170.1 
W. H 
. Ball . 
75.1 
L. E. De Garmo. 
,152.4 
J. E. 
Ammon. 
66.3 
Accuracy Fly Event: 
L. E. De Garmo _ 
. 99.7 
W. J. 
Jamison . 
97.10 
P. 1. Trinderman .... 
. 98.9 
H. E. 
Rice . 
97.6 
T. E. Ammon .. 
. 98.4 
A. D. 
Whitby . 
96.10 
Dr. B. Rollins . 
. 97.13 
Re-entry: 
L. E. De Garmo_ 
. 99.6 
J. E. 
Ammon . 
98.10 
W. J. Jamison . 
. 99.1 
A. D. 
Whitby . 
95.7 
P. J. Linderman .. 
. 99. 
Distance Fly Event: 
Feet. 
Feet. 
L. E. De Garmo_ 
87 
J. E. 
Ammon . 
78 
P. J. Linderman .. 
79 
W. J. 
Jamison . 
70 
X’isitors; Accuracy bait — H. J. Hokamp, 95.7. 
Distance %oz. — H. J. Hokamp, 138.3. 
Captain Ranney put on steam and cleared up 
the postponed events as well as running off one 
of the big days. 
Mr. Wehle’s entry was to complete his un¬ 
finished score of May 8. 
The members who have taken up the fly events 
for the first time this year are to be congratu¬ 
lated on their fine scores. 
The next event will be held on June 19, quar¬ 
ter-ounce accuracy bait, quarter-ounce distance 
bait, accuracy dry-fly. salmon fly. 
The interclub contest will be held in July. The 
team will be selected on their general averages 
up to the time of the contest. Are you going 
to be on the team or on the bench ? 
H. F. Bennett, Sec’y. 
Large Trout. 
While John Waddell, of Grand Rapids, Mich., 
and Fred N. Peet, of Chicago, were fishing in 
the Pere Marquette River, in Michigan, in May, 
the former rose and hooked a large trout. After 
playing it for an hour and a quarter Mr. Wad¬ 
dell had the trout under control, and Mr. Peet 
was able to slip his landing net under it. It 
proved to be a fine rainbow trout and weighed 
ten pounds. His hosts of friends will rejoice 
with Uncle John over this latest achievement of 
the veteran fly-fisher. 
