Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-04-21
THE TENNESSEE ANGLER.
An Excellent Letter from Tipsy Ca
nOe-shOaI Creek-SPlendid scenery
: Fine FfshinR-HOw 20 do It.


My Dear Friend: was glad to receive your
esteemed favor in reply to mine Of the Sth
inst, and would be pleased to comply with
your request, and continue the subject of
s.angling" were it net for the attractions
which surroundi me, occupying my every
thought; however, L win pencil you few
observatiOns,if "Jef Bailey" my canoe
man, will only steady the boat. "Jef' is
as well known at the mouth Of ShOal as
Gov. Patton, who lives only a few miles
distant, but when you GET into the rapids,
or near the "slOpe wall, JEFF is decidedly /
more reliable. We chartered four horse
coach from Farmer, at Florence, to bring i
our party andlbaggage to Esquire Reynolds, |
who, with Mis-. L., Miss Dora and sweet
little Maxey, contributed all in their power
to make our stay pleasant; two drouths In
succession, however, have impoverished the /
country, and the scarcity Of provisions is /
unprecedented. We brought our commits
SdTy from Nashvilre, except butter, eggs |
and apple-jack, which we found abundant |
here. Our first and greatest trouble was |
to secure good lot Of minnOWs, for with |
out them, we had no hope Of success, but |
our sagacious President, Frank F.,
was equal to the emergency, and |
determined to meet the issue squarely, |
and did so By emplOyinga brigade, more or |
less, and supplied each with hooks and
lines and started them on the s'war path"
We paid five dollars per hundred for good
'ssteel-backsn and red-tail minnOWs. The
first evening we bought about one hundred
Of very pretty size. Our minnOW account
alone VIII foot up SIT to date-no sundries
included. Our general expense account,
including SlndrieS, for our party Of four
and servants, will be about $500 for ten
DAYS sport; but you must remember we
have had a thousand dollars worth OF fun,
which viii leave a balance Of 500 to our
credit when we return to our counting
rooms-and we owe no man, and therefore
can afford to 90 fshing-"jes' so, jes' So"
This stream is decidedly the most beau
tiful for scientific angling for game fish in
America, and so conceded by those best in
formed in Tennessee. Strike the water
and wind favorable, you can become sur
fsited here in two days. The old adage-
"When the wind is in the north or east
The fish bite the least;
When the wind Is in the south or west
The fish bite the best
proves true to the letter.
ShOal creek is a lovely stream about two
hundred yards wide at its mouth, bold
and rapid and worthy tributary of the
Tennessee river. Il rises in Lawrence
county. Tenn, and would supply water
power enough, If utilized properly, 10 run all
the spindles in America. The water is
generally clear as a mountain stream, and
lis bottom rocks from its source to its
mouth, with an occasional deep place where
there is an abrupt bend around a bluff or
cliff, it has been known to be clear and
muddy twice in tWenty-fOur hours, its high
bluffs. rough and craggy cliffs, its cOntinu
Gus succession Of small falls and miniature
| Niagra's forming at intervals beautiful cas-
cades in its rapid and wild descent down.
ward, make it anything else but mOnOtO-
nous to those fond Of rural scenery, aud is
especially attractive to the angler. We are
/ about two degrees farther South than Nash
| Vile and the rich foliage Of the trees and
| shrubbery on the banks, the beautiful varie-
/ gated wild flowers with every tinge and
/ hue dOtting the hillside and bluffs right
and lefl, and the merry singing OF the
mOcking bird, all contribute to the pleasure
Of the angler and declare the full opening
/ of spring. l do wish so much you aud b
were here to enjoy this scene with me
1t is indeed pleasant recreation for the
angler TO draw this gamest Of all game hsh
| of our section from his native element from
a distance Of fifty tOseventy-fve yards with
| hook and line. The best game tish We
| catch here is the black trout or bass. You
must know their habits-when they feed,
where they lay, and how they bite, to en-
sure success. They are as timid and
| watchful as a girl in her teens, and is
/ harder to catch. We seldom catch them
less than lbs. in weight and the majority
/ 4 to lbs. Our canoe men, JEFF Bailey
1 L, TT,rs oil aAn N
! ness and know what they are doing. They
glide slowly over the crystal waves, careful
not TO make a ripple on the water, and at
an oppOrtune moment, where it is probable
a trout is lying, he will advise you to cast
/ your line, when the fish will take your
minnow greedily, if not previously dis
| turbed, and run generally about three
| lengths Of your rod, when you reel up. 1t
is fine sport indeed, but requires a prac-
ticed angler or you spoil the catch. These
fish are a gem to look at and sweet NOR
sci for the palate when the last offices Of
our cook are done for him.
We have a jolly party, and happy, too;
and as Charlie H. glides beautifully down
on the crystal waters, sing his fayOrite-
| cold Ben johnson and his son Sam
Built them boat in the shape Of clam"
assures us Of the fact, and We join in the
chorus. "Keep your seat, Judge" was a
| continuous adm0nitiOu to those whose
| equilibrium was questioned.
| Our tackle is Of the finest made in Amer
ica or Europe, and the Nashville hardware
houses have the best and most complete
outfit ever saw.
| Which would you rather do or 90 fishing?
Did you ever see a party Of bright-faced
boys rejoicing at the return Of spring, as
they 90 down the green meadows with
sweet anticipations Of a happy day-nO
school, no task, no wOrk-all as happy as a
s.big sun-hOweT3" If so, then you have seen
| Nature as it is, and as we to-day feel, al
though some OF our party have passed the
meridian Of life; but you must remember
the fact
"You may break, you may shatter the vase, If
you VIII,
But the scent Of the roses viii hang round it
still"
l am anchored at Hobson's Rock, favor
tie point, named after Uncle Nick HObsOn,
of Nashville, who for a great many years
past, with number Of friends, annually
visited this place with invariably good
success. And strange TO saythat l had not
more than finished writing his name above
when my reel began to sing, and success
fully landed a trout, weighing over four
pounds, from a distance of fseventy-five yards
from where l sit. l call that sport and sci
entifc angling. Charlie II. and Frank F.
are anchored within a hundred yards of me,
and caught about the same time one nearly
as large. They are certainly the best ang-
: lers ever saw, and love it as well l.
In full view of where we are anchored,
passes the Tennessee river, which presents
a panorama Of surprising beauty and grand
eur, the opposite bank is fully three miles
distant, and the roaring, dashiDg waves ex-
tend from ten to fifteen feet high, with their
white, angry-lOOking caps, as they bound
over the rocks Of Muscle Shoals, present a
scene of magnificent grandeur, which can
only be appreciated by being seen. love
this place for the beauty Of its scenery.
Two hundred feet above where l sit,
you can see the Tennessee river fifteen
miles distant as it rushes downward over
the rocky shoals.
Hillman and Furman are both enthusi-
astically engaged anu L must add myself
= tOO-sO much so that we know nothing
whatever of the cares of life, They have
, Just landed several large fine trout and are
now waiting for another bite; they are in
, full view of me watching their floats with
l as much interest and anxiety as a banker