Morning journal and courier., 1880-06-05
Monster Trout of New Mexico.

l
 Having seen the article entitled Newark's
 ! Noted Anglers in the Chicago Field, several
 ' weeks ago. and also the communication ques-
 | tioning Mir. Simpsons claim to have taken
 ! the largest brook trout, and not seeing any 1 reply from him, I sent the doctor note | requesting him to send me an account of his ] exploit. And here it is The doctor will | certainly have to lower his pretensions some ! what, as several larger trout have been cap ! tured. His account is very interesting, how 1 ever, and I send it to you just I received ! it. T.s M T. S. Mornell, esq :: Dear sir-In answer
 ! to your note of the 7th inst, asking me for
 particulars concerning the landing of trout \ of unusual size, will state that although lover of piscatorial sport, never called my self a scientific fisherman, nor did I ever keep any record of my failures or successes. | The following incidents I can relate positive | ly, and without doubt in my own mind as to | their truthfulness; but fear distance and | lapse of time would render it hard for me to 1 find proof
 In the month of July, 1868, captured in the headquarters of the Gualupita river, in the | Taos mountains, New Mexico, in one morn ing's fishing using sixteen-ounce trout rod, made in St. Louis, fourteen speckled trout,
 | the smallest of which weighed three pounds ' and two ounces, and the largest four pounds and fourteen ounces. I took these trout within space of half mile, and the most of them from under an old beaver dam, using both fly and grasshopper.
 Iu June, 1869, I took from the Rio Cobra do Chicita, in the same mountains, a large l number of trout from one to four pounds, where I do not believe any white man ever tished before. And now, if you will allow me, I will describe as well as can the taking of the largest trout ever saw; it a true trout, and the few natives and miners who saw it so declared it. I was on gold-hunting expedition in the ho6 tha tains for a hunt and fish with two companions. I had been fishing for | some two hours, with but little success, when I reached spot on the stream that I promised to be perfect Fl Dorado, for my | first cast gave me fine fish, at least three pounds as I recollect. For about 100 yards | the stream had narrowed and deepened and was well covered by tall grass my second cast gave me 8 chance of fastening to some- thing that upset me, mentally and physically, for left him in about two minutes I did my fly and shell. ''He's a whopper," said I to myself, land I'll get him before go home" So Imarked the spot, and, making detour, fished the stream for mile or more and took turn prospecting until afternoon. On returning to this, now, to me, interest ing little canyon, I commenced trying to find my lost hook, of course, not the fish that took it. Fly after fly, grasshopper after grasshopper, moth worm, everything could think of did bait with, but nothing but small nSn AL iaSt u happy InouSnI sbfuck me. sat down and opened one of my larg- est fish in his stomach found pieces of a kind of root that did not recognize as ever having seen before they were about one half inch in length, white, soft, and, on tast- ing found them sweet and aromatic. I concluded to try one of those pieces as bait did so and it was a success, for l struck 8 fish that took all my nerve and experience to take care of. For nearly one hour I did all could to conquer him, and at last succeeded And when had landed him, by wading in shallow place that had coaxed him into, and laid him on the grass thought that it was very whale in size. I took him to camp and weighed him. Now for the big part of it; he actually weighed nine pounds and four teen ounces and it was trout-the biggest fish that had ever been seen in New Mexico The natives and people who saw the fish pro- nounced it atrue speckled trout, or, as they call it, troches, and I believed it as much as believe that caught him.
 The stream is at least ], 800 miles from sea water, 5000 feet above the sea level and 250 miles from any large stream, and is not more than fifteen feet wide, and varies from one to five feet deep. The fish mystery you can use as you please. If, Captain E. R. Shoe maker, U. S. A., were here he would say: 'tDr. Simpson can catch and bring home larger and better fish than any man that ever lived in New Mexico" G. F. SIMPSON.