The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1876-04-22

have not seen ice half an inch thick.
The summers are delightful and there is
plenty of amusement for those who are
fond Of sporting with the rod and gun.
In the Eastern States those who can
afford it spend the summer at Long
Branch, Saratoga and other watering
places, get through with a large amount
of money aud think they have had nice
time. In this country . man who has
not been On one or more trouting excur-
sions during the summer thinks he has
lived in vain. Many q farmer will find
time to take his family and spend week
along some lake or trout stream, aad
some of the more wealthy spend nearly
the entire summer camping about the
lakes and streams.
have frequently written cfthe gener-
al appearance of this country and its
resources and have nothing new to offer
in that line at present I had made Ar
rangements to go trouting to-day in3ead
of writing this letter, but was prevented
by little shower which commenced last
October and still continues. and it looks
to-day as though we would have = set
tied rain. My ideas are induced to be
fshy from my disappointment and ] will
indulge little in the piscatorial by way
of variety. The Puget Sound waters
abound in great variety of fish peculiar
to salt water, among which are Salmon,
Salmon Trout, Hallibut Flanders, Rock
Cod, Smelt. Herring, Sea Bass, blue fish,
Horse Mackerel and many Others that 1
cannot name. Sea fishing will do as
matter of business, but has no sport in it.
The streams in this country have not
the variety If fsh in them you find in
the streams east of the Rocky Mountains.
You see no striped Bass, Sun Fish, Perch,
Cat Fish. Buffalo, Pike or Pickerel.
There are but two kinds of fish to angle
for, the Salmon Trout and the Speckled
Trout. The Salmon Trout are a::besuti-
full fish weighing from one to five pounds,
they are not very easily taken only run
ming at certain seasops. The Speckeled
Trout is by all odds the game of the
stream.
As the mountains from which the
streams have their source are covered
with snow the year round the water is of
course cold and the trout always good. We
will now take q little excursion: say four
of us intending to have good time and
spend several days, conclude we will
90 as close to the mountains as possible
to have the benefit of mountain air dur
ing the warm days. We take the steam
boat or cars rs far as they 60 in our
direction and then hire some farmer or
Indian to pack our traps to the place we
wish to camp. If We haves plenty s.of
money we take a Chinaman to cook and
keep camp. After building fires and fix
ing up tents we proceed to examine our
packages and see what we have got. If
we are little fast (but of course Mr..
Editor you and I would not come in
here) on opening the pack We would find
a bottle of gin, then fish baskets each
containing reels. lines, ETC., and then q
bottle of gin, next rubber boots or wad-
ing stockings, then bottle Of brandy in
case we should get vet, next cooking
utensils, rations and bottle of bitters, a
box of cigars, pipes, tobacco and bottle
of sherry, and last sporting coat made
of duck and containing an endless mum.
Der of pockets with little bit of coat
between the pockets to hold them togeth-
er, and in each pocket bottle of whis-
ky for snake bites. We are now ready
for bed. In the morning we are upearly
and ready for sport. Putting on our
long rubber boots and our incest fly we
wade into the stream. The trout are
Jumping lively and you say this is jolly.
You see the speckled beauties just below
you and raising your rod make a cast but
in stead of dropping over the trout it has
landed on limb twenty feet above your
head. You get enthusiastic over the fun
and pull and jerk with vigor, you break
the tip off your fine rod and lose your
fly when you wade to the shore to FIX it
nearly overcome with the sport. All
ready again you wade along over the
slippery stones to huge boulder above
q nice pool. Who ever saw anything
more slippery than wet boulder covered
with Shiny moss but you balance your
self and make the cast. Beautifully done;
a two FOUNDER takes it almost before it
touches the water, you hook him nicely
but forget your understanding your feet
slip and you are under, your head strik.
ing where your feet we're. Fun! l
should say it wss-to those looking on
never had 80 much fun before. You
crawl out to think and from your looks
your comrades judge you are saying,
snow l lay me down to Sleep" No,
your thoughts are in . different direc-
ton altogether, too jolly for that; you
are rehersing different kind of litera-
ture and conclude you are having glo-
rious time. In picking up the rod you
(; nd the 6ah uov,o that Ia nofhin0 how.