April 4, 1908.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
American Trout in Germany. Trout Fishing Near New York. 
Williamsport, Pa., March 7. — Editor Forest 
and Stream: While looking over a file of I'or- 
EST AND Stream that had accumulated during 
my absence from home, I noticed the interesting 
article of Prof. David Starr Jordan in the Dec. 
7 number, entitled “The Grayling at Caribou 
Crossing.” He mentions incidentally that the 
German name for grayling is asche, and that the 
European species ranges through Northern Eng¬ 
land, Scandinavia and Russia. 
In September, 1900, I enjoyed a day s fishing 
in company with a German friend, on a stream 
called the Laucher, which flows through part of 
what is called the Swabian Alps, in the kingdom 
of Wurtemberg, in Southern Germany. I was 
told that in addition to the ordinary European 
or brown trout, the stream contained some 
American rainbow trout, having been stocked 
with the latter a few years before. I fished with 
fly, my companion with grasshoppers. During 
the afternoon he landed a fish weighing about 
two pounds, which our old guide, the lessee of 
the stream called an asche and said that the 
Laucher was the only stream in W iirtemberg 
where they are found, that they are compara¬ 
tively rare, and are considered a very fine fish. 
Now, in July, 1896, I caught a few small 
Michigan'grayling in the Au Sable R' ver - ar >d on 
the same trip caught a number of Eastern brook 
trout and some rainbow trout. I noticed that the 
German fish referred to above was a soft rayed 
fish, with a small mouth, but I never thought of 
the possibility that it might be a grayling. I am 
sure it did not have the beautiful iridescent ap¬ 
pearance the Michigan' grayling has when first 
taken from the water. Now the question that 
bothers me is, is the name asche merely a local 
name, or was this fish really a grayling? After 
1 had caught a number of brown trout, most of 
which were returned to the water, as Mr. Wahl, 
the lessee, would not keep any under half a 
pound in weight, and the larger ones were put 
into small purse nets and kept alive in the 
stream until he could gather them in a live box 
and store them in a large spring to remain theie 
until sent to market, I hooked a fish and the 
characteristic way it jumped and skipped around 
on top of the water, told me that I had a rain¬ 
bow at the end of my line. Later I caught a fine 
plump fish about twelve inches long, and ex¬ 
claimed after I landed it, “Why, here is an Amer¬ 
ican brook trout!” 
“No,” said Mr. Wahl, “That is a saibling. The 
fry were brought from an Alpine stream in 
Switzerland and planted here.” 
He remarked that he wished they were not 
put into the stream. He said they were not 
popular because their flesh was yellow. 
This fish was put in a purse net with some 
others, and when later in the day I wished to 
give it a closer examination, we found that it 
had forced its way through the draw string at 
the top of the purse net and escaped. So I will 
repeat my first question, “Was that asche a gray¬ 
ling?” And add a second query, “What is a 
saibling?” Edmund G. Koch. 
[The grayling of Germany, known as asche, is 
Thymallus vulgaris. The saibling is the Salmo 
alpinus of Linnaeus and the Salvehnus alpinus 
of modern writers. It is thus a not distant cousin 
of our brook trout, and of the bull trout ( Sal - 
velinus malma) of the West.— Editor.] 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
The following instructions apply, in a general 
way, to all the trout streams of Otsego, Dela¬ 
ware, Schoharie, Ulster and Sullivan counties. 
Hotels change ownership and condition so often 
that it is impossible to keep reliable information 
of them long in advance. A better rule to fol¬ 
low is this: 
Having in mind the railway station to which 
you wish to go, ask the train conductor for the 
name of the best hotel in the place. His reply 
will be reliable. The rate at this hotel will be 
from $1.50 to $2 per day, except in the summer- 
boarder season, when some more pretentious 
places may be open. 1 he proprietor of the hotel 
either owns a livery stable or is in close touch 
with one. Tell him what stream you wish to 
ally good bread, are what you may look for. 
In any one of the following streams a good 
fisherman can pick up a basket of trout in a 
day's fishing, if the water and weather are fa¬ 
vorable. As a rule, those nearest to New york 
are the best fishing, for the country is more 
mountainous. The Otsego county streams are 
not worth the long journey, but are mentioned 
in case any one happens to be in that part of the 
State. 
OTSEGO COUNTY—BUTTERNUT CREEK. 
Flows southwest from Burlington and empties 
into Unadilla River at Mount Upton. From 
Morris to four miles above Garrattsville fairly 
good trout stream. Make headquarters at Mor¬ 
ris. Reach Morris from New York via O. & W. 
R. R., to Mount Upton, 210 miles; fare, $420. 
Drive from Mount Upton to Morris, 11 miles. 
Ask liveryman for best hotel in Morris. 
PE N N S YLV A NIA M USKELLU NGE. 
fish, and he will furnish a team and driver for 
from $3 to $4 per day. All the streams have 
highways paralleling them which, except foi 
-short distances, are within sight of the creeks. 
The team will take you as far up stream as you 
wish to go, and follow along down at your con¬ 
venience, or meet you at an agreed-upon point 
when you are through fishing. If you are inex¬ 
perienced at trout fishing, visit a little with the 
hotel proprietor, the liveryman and the drivel. 
They all know what changes have recently 
taken place in the streams, and where the best 
catches are being made. 1 here arc no profes¬ 
sional guides in the locality, but if you feek the 
need of company, the hotel proprietor can 
usually secure some local fisherman to serve you. 
All of this country is more or less farming 
land, and by taking a little notice of whether or 
not the house looks neat around the door steps 
and front yard, you can scarcely fail of getting 
a good wholesome meal anywhere along the 
stream. Ham, eggs, milk, potatoes, and gener- 
OTSEGO COUNTY-OTSDAWA CREEK AND OTEGO "CREEK. 
Flow into Susquehanna River at Otego. Reach 
Otego via O. & W. R. R., to Sidney, D. & H. 
R. R. to Otego, 215 miles; fare, $ 4 - 45 - 
SCHOHARIE COUNTY—MANORKILL. 
Flows into Schoharie Creek one-half mile 
above Gilboa. Make headquarters at Gilboa. 
Reach Gilboa from New York via West Shore 
and U. & D. R. Rs. to Grand Gorge, 154 miles; 
fare, $3.75. Drive from Grand Gorge to Gilboa. 
DELAWARE COUNTY—OLEOUT CREEK. 
Flows from Meridale west into Susquehanna 
River at Unadilla. Good trout fishing above 
Franklin. Make headquarters at Franklin. New 
York via O. & W. R. R-, to Franklin depot, 190 
miles; fare $3.80. Drive to Franklin village, five 
miles. 
DELAWARE COUNTY—EAST BROOK AND WEST BROOK. 
Flow into Delaware River at Walton. Make 
headquarters at Walton. Reach Walton from 
