460 
FORES'I' AND S T R E A M 
good success on hot, sunny days when flies are 
not so effective, though evening fishing is (as 
always) the best, because both trout and bass 
are at that time more active in their search for 
food. 
The dragon-flies, of which there are two 
sizes made, will be found best to use as an or¬ 
dinary floating fly. Cast it out on the surface 
to float awhile, whip it off again without being 
wetted, and keep repeating the cast. This fly is 
so light it can easily be cast among the weeds 
and lily pads where they will be greedily taken 
by large perch, pickerel, pike and bass. For 
river fishing, almost any plan will induce a rise 
where fish happen to be. 
Modern anglers, I believe, do not take a fancy 
to caterpillar fishing, probably because there are 
no decent imitations. They do use the brown 
and black hacklefly of various sizes, such being 
supposed to imitate the brown, also the black- 
hairy caterpillar so abundant in early spring and 
summer. Seventy years ago in the time of Ron¬ 
alds, excellent caterpillar imitations were made, 
not in the shape of a fly, but copied with fidel¬ 
ity and truth from the natural insect. The sam¬ 
ples here shown are brown, black and gray, the 
two former being most plentiful in the spring 
and the latter in late summer and fall. They 
should (like the grasshopper) be attached to a 
Three Caterpillar Lures. 
long fine leader, and floated leisurely along the 
surface over which trout may lie. 
A short description of the varied lures here 
illustrated will give the angler a better idea of 
their value, made more necessary because it is 
impossible to show them in color. 
No. i is a copy of the shiner, or dace. The 
belly is solid silver, being wound alternately with 
silver twist and tinsel. Along the sides is a 
strip of vivid green and blue which tones down 
after being wetted. The back is olive green 
with black stripes. The quivering side pectoral 
fins are black and deep yellow, which feature 
forms an entirely new idea in artificial lures. 
However tranquil the water is, these fins have 
a gentle waving motion that is very life-like and 
attractive. This is a large minnow and along 
with No. 3 will be found equally killing for big 
brown and other trouts, bass, pike and salmon. 
No. 2 imitates a small red-sided minnow famil¬ 
iar to fishermen as the red stickle-back. It has 
a white belly, red sides and green back. It has 
killed and is highly suitable for good-sized brook 
trout and rainbows. 
No. 3 is a copy of the red fin, the belly is sil¬ 
ver, the quiver fins are red and the back is of 
the same color, with a stripe of pale orange and 
green running along the sides. 
No. 4 is a very small minnow with white belly 
and olive back and is intended to represent the 
young of various species of larger fish. 
No. 5 is a dragon-fly with a solid body of cork 
reinforced with strong wire and wound tightly 
with green raffia grass. Its exceeding lightness 
makes its possible to cast as a fly. 
No. 6 is the June green grasshopper made of 
solid cork wound in vivid green raffia. It floats 
upright and the quivering back wings of red 
cock’s hackle make a juicy, irresistible lure. 
Yukon White River District—A 
Paradise for Big 
Game Hunters 
As the great territory of Alaska on either side 
of the international boundary line is being de¬ 
veloped through discoveries of new mineral 
wealth, the world is beginning to learn more of the 
game resources of that vast region. Within the 
past year or two what is known as the upper 
White River District, comprising a section of 
from 50 miles to ioo miles in length, lying on the 
international boundary line, has received the at¬ 
tention of the Canadian government surveys, and 
as a matter of fact, the Canadian government has 
been putting through pack trails to the district, 
while the White River, supposed to be unnaviga- 
ble, has been found available for all manners of 
river craft, from shallow steamboats down. All 
the Canadian routes proceed from tidewater at 
Skagway over the White Pass and Yukon Rail¬ 
way to Whitehorse, a distance of no miles. 
From Whitehorse, which is situated at the head 
of navigation on the Yukon and its principal 
tributary, Lewes River, the various Canadian 
routes diverge. 
The district has been found to be prolific in 
game of all sorts, wild life being plentiful 
throughout most parts of Upper White River dis¬ 
trict, sheep, moose, and caribou being particularly 
numerous. In fact, were this locality only slight¬ 
ly more accessible and somewhat better known, 
few places on the continent would be more attrac¬ 
tive to the sport-loving hunter. 
The sheep are the white Alaskan variety, Ovis 
Dalli; these feed during the winter months in the 
main valleys, but with the approach of summer, 
they work farther and farther back into the high¬ 
er mountains, and choose especially the lofty, rug¬ 
ged, craggy summits, and are frequently found in 
the vicinity of glaciers. They rarely return to 
the valleys during the summer except in cross¬ 
ing from one mountain to another. The writer 
one day in July of last season, counted over 400 
sheep, all of which were plainly in sight at one 
time, on the hills to the southwest of Rabbit 
Mountain. 
The moose are the large giant moose, Alces 
gigas; these magnificent animals range the low¬ 
lands in considerable numbers and are particu 
larly plentiful in the flats bordering White River. 
Caribou are also somewhat numerous, and are fre¬ 
quently seen on the low open hills in different 
parts of the district. They are, when seen, the 
least difficult of any game to procure, as their curi¬ 
osity is greater than their fear, and they will fol¬ 
low a horse or watch a man until scent gives 
them warning. Black and grizzly bear are suffi¬ 
ciently numerous to make it unsafe to leave a 
cache unprotected for more than a day or two. 
and they have been known to disturb provisions 
in the presence of the owner. Rabbits also abound 
throughout the district. Lynx, mink, martin, 
wolverine, and red fox are fairly numerous and 
cross, silver and black foxes are occasionally 
found. 
The chief game birds noted are rock ptarmigan 
Lagopus rupestris rupestris Gmelin, willow ptar¬ 
migan, Lagopus lagopus, Alaska spruce partridge, 
Canachites canadensis osgoodi Bishop, fool hens 
or Franklin grouse, Canachites franklinii, willow 
grouse or Oregon ruffed grouse, Bonasa umbellus 
sabini, and several varieties of ducks and geese. 
The rock ptarmigan are found above timber line, 
and during the summer months live mainly on the 
highest, often snow-capped summits; the willow 
ptarmigan live during the summer season at above 
timber line. Both varieties are very plentiful in 
Upper White River district as well as in adjoin¬ 
ing portions of Yukon and Alaska. These birds 
are very easily obtained and can often be secured 
with sticks or stones. Consequently many a 
stampeder to Chisana last autumn, depended on 
them partly or entirely for subsistence, and in 
some cases lived entirely on ptarmigan for days 
or even weeks at a time, after his other provis¬ 
ions became exhausted. The spruce partridge, 
fool hens, and ruffed grouse are much less plen¬ 
tiful than the ptarmigan, but still are quite fre¬ 
quently seen. 
The streams and small lakes are generally well 
supplied with fish, chiefly greyling, Thymallus 
signifer. 
While it is hardly probable that big game hunt¬ 
ers will penetrate this region in large numbers this 
year or next, the district certainly ought to be pro¬ 
tected against the slaughter that goes on wher¬ 
ever mining camps are established. 
Forest and Stream readers have some rare 
treats in store during the coming season. 
In the September issue we expect to begin the 
publication of one of the best stories of New¬ 
foundland Caribou Hunting ever written; in the 
same issue, or perhaps in October, an account of 
one of the most remarkable Grizzly Bear Hunts 
ever made in the Canadian Rockies which re¬ 
sulted in the location of no less than sixteen 
grizzly bears, and the taking of four of them — 
one a monster that had been known by reputa¬ 
tion to trappers for years. 
